DEMANDS by parents for a pedestrian crossing outside a Barnsley primary school have been turned down by the council because it doesn’t meet ‘strict criteria’.
Mum Helen Mitchell set up an online petition last year over concerns for the safety of children and parents crossing Hunningley Lane to get to Hunningley Primary School.
Helen, who is also a member of the school PTA, was spurred into action as she crosses the road three times a day with her children. On two of those occasions she said there is usually a lollipop lady but when she picks up her younger son from nursery at 11.45am they have to cross on their own.
“Although it is a 30mph zone, cars do go faster and don’t want to stop if they don’t have to, so when there is no lollipop lady it is very hard to cross safely,” said Helen, of Reginald Road, Kendray.
Her call for action was signed by more than 400 people and the petition handed to the council last November.
But she has been been left bitterly disappointed after council papers published this week show the request for a pedestrian crossing has been rejected.
The report explains stringent criteria must be met before one can be considered at, such as the flow of people and volume of vehicles on the road.
It states: “In considering requests for light controlled pedestrian crossings there are very strict criteria in place which must be met before a pedestrian crossing facility can be considered.
“These relate to the conflict between the volume of vehicles and the number of pedestrians wishing to cross the road at a particular point.
“In order to meet the criteria there needs to be a sustained flow of pedestrians crossing the carriageway throughout the whole of the day. On Hunningley Lane this does not exist as crossing movements are confined to school start and finish times.
“It is recommended that the service director for environment and transport write to the lead petitioner to inform them of this situation.”
The decision to refuse the crossing hasn’t deterred Helen. She feels there is still more that can be done.
“I would like to appeal it if possible.
“Apart from school starting and closing, we can think of at least four other times in the day when children and parents have to cross Hunningley Lane unsupervised: breakfast club (8am-8.20am); end of morning nursery (11.40am-11.50am); beginning of afternoon nursery (12.25pm-12.35pm); end of after school clubs (4.10pm-4.20pm).
“It looks like it is going to be difficult to persuade the council to accept our request, so we need to put more pressure on them to do so and give them more reasons to accept there’s a regular flow of pedestrians across the road.
“Things we had not thought about is there is a family centre and that has things happening during the week. Also I didn’t think to speak to many of the people who live on the road.”
