Stratford schoolgirl's campaign for safer road crossings

Lottie has got classmates and teachers at Stratford Primary School, where she is a pupil, to sign a petition and, in her letter to the mayor, has suggested ways the crossings could be improved with safety cameras and speed bumps.

Lottie’s mum, Vicky, told the Herald her daughter is worried as she’s seen too many nears misses at the pedestrian crossings.

“My daughter is trying to get the council to do something about the dangerous pedestrian crossings on Rother Street and the A4390 near Evesham Place Stores, where she and her friends cross daily to get to school,” Vicky said. “Cars are always speeding, going through the red and amber lights and stopping over the crossings when the green man is illuminated.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen, there have been too many near misses.

“I’ve asked drivers ‘do you realise there are children trying to cross the roads here?’ but some are blatantly not sticking to the 30mph speed limit.

“It’s scary to walk to school, which is not right for children.

“I’m very proud of what Lottie is doing to make things safer because you often see a mum with a pram and also a small child having to walk behind a car which is blocking the pedestrian crossing when the green man is illuminated. We could do with a lollipop lady or lollipop man again.”

Lottie’s efforts have so far been recognised by Cllr Cleeve who invited her the town hall yesterday (Wednesday) to receive a citizen certificate. And she has achieved her Brownie badge for speaking out about the problem.

Lottie has also written a poem and a song about the problems and studied the section of the Highway Code about keeping a pelican crossing clear.

“We need to have raised speed bumps on crossings, extra signs to act as reminders that children are crossing, cameras or temporary speed guns and more police presence,” said Lottie. “I use the crossing every day with my mum and friends to get to school and back again. A child could walk into the road and get killed by a car that has not [obeyed] the red light.

“We have seen cars driving much faster than the speed limits. Cars are always going through red and amber lights and are constantly stopping on the crossing when the green man shows, this is illegal.”

Vicky added: “Pupils from other schools also use the crossing and it needs to be safe for them and also for people with accessibility concerns as they can’t cross in a wheelchair or mobility scooter if the road is blocked by cars or big lorries.”

Cllr Cleeve praised Lottie and her road safety plan.

“I think it’s brilliant that she’s doing this to raise awareness for her and her friends,” said Cllr Cleeve. “I walk that way a lot and it can be quite a hazardous area. I am passionate about young people talking about causes and making youth count and we are so proud of her.”

A spokesperson for Warwickshire County Council said: “The council is committed to making the roads as safe as possible through engineering, education and enforcement and continue to fund a successful road safety education programme that works in partnership with the police to focus enforcement at appropriate sites.

“Whilst the council would like to accommodate these requests for engineering measures, its resources are limited and being wholly data-led, it has to prioritise its work in the most cost-effective manner.

“Engineering measures, such as those suggested, do take a significant portion of available funding and therefore need to be focused on locations with a high collision rate, where there are patterns of activities or behaviours that can be attributed to the collisions, and where viable solutions can be identified that can make an impact.

“Having reviewed the evidence relating to these two crossings, the council must advise that this location is not currently identified as a priority site for investment. The data available suggests that there have not been collisions resulting in injury within the last five years at either location.

“Sadly, the poor driving standards that have been described are seen on a daily basis in numerous locations, which unfortunately, is something the council cannot control.”

The county council urged people who see drivers breaking the law to contact police on 101 or report the incident at www.warwickshire.police.uk.

The spokesperson added: “These calls/reports do provide evidence toward consideration of future enforcement sites.

“Residents are also advised to approach their local community forum where enforcement priorities are agreed upon with councillors and the police.

“For more information and contact details, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/communityforums.”