On Fri, 1 May 2009 15:31:17 +0100, "mileburner"
wrote:


"Mark" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:19:56 +0100, "mileburner"
wrote:

The issues are complex because solving one problem can lead to another.
For
example, if you remove the parked cars, (legal or not), you end up with
increased traffic speeds.

Indeed and more traffic too I would suspect. That's one reason we are
in favour of road closure at school times. The main problem is that
there is too much traffic for the narrow roads to cope with. One road
is single lane at one point and this is always a problem area.

I cannot see that any LA (or whoever would be responsible) would have the
balls to allow a road to be closed to traffic for a limited period for the
safety of pedestians, even if they are schoolchildren. You would need
several fatal accidents before they took the issue *that* seriously.

They have admitted as much. However we are determined and I have
succeeded in other areas where all around have told me it was
impossible.

There was a huge delivery lorry parked there this morning completely
blocking the pavement and leaving pedestrians and cars to squeeze
through the same small gap (i.e. the road). This is not an unusual
problem.

I have also seen this type of thing occur and it can actually improve safety
by making the traffic standstill. In fact, the school previously was in a no
through road and regularly became so jammed up that the pedestrians would be
clear of the area before the drivers could unblock themselves.

I can assure you that this did *NOT* improve safety as the cars were
still able to drive along the road and the pedestrians had to fit
through the same gap.

The biggest problem (and the one which can most
easily be tackled) is the school eliminating the problem of parents
driving
their children right up to the school.

This is an argument I frequently hear as an excuse to do nothing IMHO.
Yes, some parents are part of the problem but we have no special
control over the them. Apart from closing the school I cannot see any
way we can stop parents who are determined to drive their kids right
to the school gate. We frequently send out letters reminding them of
the alternatives, warning about specific problems but it has not
helped.

The fact is that teaching staff are scared ****less to do anything which
*might* upset parents. They *could* speak to parents about this at
parent/teacher evenings. They *could* speak to prospective parents about
this when they visit the school prior to their children joining and they
*could* raise awareness amongst the children by raising the subject at
school assemblies. But they don't. Instead they bleat that it's not their
responsibility.

You are making wild assumptions here. The school staff that I know
are not afraid to inform parents. They regularly send out letters to
parents about road safety issues. Children are educated about road
safety and they do nag their parents. Children have designed posters
which are displayed around the area. Classes get awards for the most
children walking or cycling to school. There is a strong culture of
walking and cycling here. We are planning more walking and cycling
initiatives in the near future.

What this *will* do is have a major
impact in the volume of traffic itself. Another thing that has worked well
outside my childrens school is they have painted a cycle lane. This has
stopped parents stopping and parking in it and the pedestrians now use it
as
additional footway - oh yes, the cyclists just ride out wider into the
ever
narrowing road. As a result of the ever narrowing road, the amount of
traffic which now try to use it as a rat-run has decreased sharply.

There would not be room for a cycle lane in the roads nearest the
schools, they are too narrow.

Our former head said exactly the same. But now there is one and the road has
become difficult for traffic to navigate.

My personal feeling is that that the school *should* take responsibility for
the traffic it generates and deal with it accordingly. However, we always
seem to end up with an eternal triangle of blame dodging: The school say it
is a police matter, the police say it is a council matter and the council
say it is a school matter. ******s - the lot of 'em.

Your experience is obviously not the same as mine.

--
(\__/) M.
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