Petition - Reinstate the school crossing patrol at Hobb Lane by Freegrounds Infant and Junior Schools

Thank you for your petition to maintain the School Crossing Patrol at Freegrounds Infant and Junior schools.

When a School Crossing Patrol officer resigns, it is County Council policy to re-survey the site to ensure that it meets the appropriate criteria within current guidelines.

The criteria used follows the national guidelines issued by Road Safety GB which considers both the number of children crossing a road and the volume of traffic using it. The survey is carried out for an hour, usually between 8am and 9am, which is generally the busiest time for traffic. Other additional factors, specific to the site, are also considered when establishing the justification for the provision of a crossing patrol. This is a long standing and well established nationally recognised process to ensure consistency in assessing sites.

The County Council introduced a policy for the School Crossing Patrol service in October 2018 and this was based on the national criteria. A copy of policy can be found here: School Crossing Patrols. This explains in more detail how the decision to fund school crossing patrols in the County is made. The policy identifies where funding a patrol is appropriate, and ensures our service is prioritised to the areas of greatest need.

In this instance the survey, which was completed on 8 June 2023, identified that this site is no longer justified and so it is with regret that we will not be recruiting a new patrol officer for this site.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Lulu Bowerman
Executive Member for Highways and Waste