Give us a new lollipop man before a child is knocked down, school urges

Angry teachers and parents have called for action after a school was told its retiring lollipop man will not be replaced.

A petition has been launched by Littletown Junior and Infant School, which is located off a busy main road in Liversedge, after school leaders discovered they would not be getting a new road crossing patrol when the current lollipop man retired yesterday.

Kirklees Council says the lollipop man is not being replaced as there is already a zebra crossing by the school.

But school staff have said there are already issues with cars not stopping at the crossing, despite groups of children standing waiting to cross.

They are now urging the council to install traffic lights before a small child is knocked down.

Earlier this week the north Kirklees school took to Twitter to try and apply pressure on the council, urging people to support their petition.

The Examiner approached the school for comment but no-one was willing to speak.

The school’s petition says: “The Littletown lollipop crossing patrol person has decided to retire at the end of September but Kirklees Council have decided that he will not be replaced.

“We strongly believe that this will dramatically affect the safety of children crossing Bradford Road.

“Parents and teachers at Littletown school are very concerned about the lack of a crossing patrol person outside their school.

“Although there is a zebra crossing in place, many cars do not stop at the zebra crossing when pedestrians are waiting to cross.

“Bradford Road is a very busy “A” road, along which many cars travel at speeds well above the speed limit.

“Furthermore, there are parking bays all along the road, almost up to the school gates, which greatly reduces drivers visibility of pedestrians walking on the pavement.

“Small children will be especially difficult to see at the zebra crossing because of this.

“Many traffic accidents have occurred at the zebra crossing and parents and teachers are very concerned that it is only a matter of time before a small child is knocked down while attempting to use the crossing.”

A Kirklees Council spokesperson said: “In line with national guidelines our policy is not to replace crossing patrols where there is a formal crossing facility.

“However, as we are continuing to discuss the future of this service with our partners in schools to find a sustainable way to support them with road safety, we will be speaking to the headteacher about all the options available at this time.”

Last year Kirklees Council revealed it had 32 vacancies for lollipop men or women but had struggled to find anyone.

The position is paid but lollipop patrols are only needed for an hour in the morning and an hour at teatime.