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Lollipop patrol axe in borough
Thursday 11th September 2008, 5:30AM BST.
A quarter of the 98 lollipop patrols in Sandwell are set to be axed, the Express & Star can reveal.
Sandwell Council says wardens are not needed where pedestrian crossings already exist and under plans to be discussed on Friday it will remove patrols from 25 sites in the borough.
No staff would be made redundant but wardens would not be replaced once they leave, in line with new national guidelines.
All 25 locations are sites where there are already pedestrian crossings controlled by traffic lights.
By cutting 25 positions, the council should save around £5,630 a month.
Cabinet member Councillor Mahboob Hussain said: “The Local Road Safety Officer Association has issued guidelines saying that in places where there are already crossings, the local authority does not have to a have a patrol.
“We are going to phase these patrols out when people retire or leave, in line with these suggestions.”
Under the plans, wardens could also be moved to one of four locations which need patrols and have no crossing facilities.
These include Crocketts Lane, Smethwick; Park Lane East, Tipton; Monksfield Avenue, Great Barr; and New Road, Great Bridge.
The patrols set to lose their wardens include busy routes such as Dudley Road West, Tividale, where 190 youngsters cross the road each day, and Hollyhedge Road, West Bromwich, where 133 cross.
The council claims that having both traffic lights and a crossing patrol is “confusing” for motorists.
By Sally Walmsley
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“”save around £5,630 a month”"
What is £5,630 pounds where childrens lives are at risk??………Oh,more money for there expenses……and the Public!!
No police on patrols, NOW, no School patrols!
What sort of statement is ” because there are zebra crossings they don’t nead a warden because it may confuse motorists”…. the mind boggles.
Don’t the Councillors read the news, look how many folk are knocked over and killed on crossings with light with the amount of DANGEROUS drivers there on the road.
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yet again councilors are saving money 5 maybe 6 grand a childs life is worth more lollipop patrols were brought in to ensure that young people cross the road safely regardless of crossings or lights Yet again sanwell shows its complete ignorance of the behaviour of children going to and from school they do not look left and right they look to where their frinds are they do not see or hear vehicles at this time. If it is savings that are needed then maybe our councillors who spend a short time at meetings in order to cram as many as possible in should onley claim for one attendance
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If one child get hurt there must be criminal proceedings against the individual responsible for this miserable decision.
It is ok to hive off council tax for useless fiascos like “The Public” but childrens’ lives are not high on the list of priorities
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It never ceases to amaze me just how efficient Sandwell’s Labour Council are, and are forever wanting to save us the council tax payers, money.
We really should all show our gratitude to our wonderful leaders for the efficient way they save us money, when they made changes to Bearwood shopping centre, they saved us money by removing the green lights, and audible warning bleeps, that tell pedestrians when it’s safe to cross the road.
They certainly don’t waste money on drain cleaning, there are drains in Barclay and Park Road, Bearwood etc, that haven’t been cleaned out for years, on occasions they used to clean the roads but they have even saved money on that and now and they hardly ever get cleaned, obviously they are saving us money on the high cost of fuel.
Salting the roads in winter, our road has never been salted in the winter, and neither do other side roads, they do sometimes salt the main roads, the problem is that people cant use them because they cant get out of the side roads.
Good old Sandwell Council if it wasn’t such a serious issue it would be funny, shame they don’t really save us money by paying for their own Private Pensions, instead of making Sandwell Council Tax Payers foot the bill.
Remember Sandwell Council, if you get it wrong it will be at the cost of a child’s life.
Jim of Bearwood
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