Parents delighted with new crossing outside school one year after pupils struck by car

Parents petitioned for the crossing after two children were struck by a car and hospitalised on September 29 last year when heading home, leaving one with a fractured spine and another with a fractured pelvis.

In the following days, determined parents set up a traffic patrol to control the speed of drivers outside the school.

One of the organisers of the petition, and a leading figure behind the scheme, Natasha Mason, 34, from Darlaston, said: "Last year when the unfortunate incident happened a lot of parents and children saw it, it was absolutely horrendous.

"It scared us all, and we knew something needed to be done to get the kids to school safely.

"So, parents and teachers put their heads together and put a petition up to get some sort of a crossing, it took a while to go through but we finally got there after about 12 months. We're thrilled to see all of that work paying off.

"I've spoken to the parents of children who were struck, they do still struggle a bit, crossing the road can be difficult, thankfully they're really resilient and have bounced right back.

"When I heard the crossing was going to happen I could not believe it, it was amazing, all the hard work we put in really paid off."

One of the worries the parents and teachers shared was of cars 'zooming' through when the kids were making their way into the school, worried that a similar incident could happen any day.

Natasha, said: "We don't have to worry about a car not stopping anymore, now they have to stop.

"We're all so much happier, especially the kids, they don't have to worry about it anymore."

One of the best parts of the victory is the way it has showed just how close-knit the Darlaston community is, who, when called upon, came together and kept their community safe - or at least safer that it was last year.

Natasha, said: "When the petition started it wasn't just between parents who knew each other, I've met parents I only used to see on the school-run and they would come up to us and ask to sign it, so it brought even people who didn't know each other together.

"We got the result we all needed."

Walsall Council confirmed that the crossing would be installed in Willenhall Street during the school summer holiday and that a recruitment drive is underway to find a designated crossing patrol supervisor to assist pupils.

Worried parents temporarily set up their own crossing patrols and raised petitions attracting more than 600 signatures calling for more road safety measures along the 20mph street due to some motorists ignoring the warning signs on the commuter route between Darlaston and Willenhall.

And today the work has paid off, as children and parents witnessed what can happen when the community decides it's time for change.

Councillor Kerry Murphy, cabinet member for street pride said: “The first few weeks of the new school year can be hectic in many ways, not least in dropping off children, particularly when siblings may attend different schools. It is a huge priority for us to do what we can to ensure children getting to school get there safely and we want to achieve this with the support of their families and carers.

“Many schools were built before car ownership became what it is now and walking to school isn’t always an option when schools are a considerable distance from home. There are parking restrictions, which we do enforce with financial penalties, in the immediate vicinity of most schools to try to keep children, and other road users, safe.

“If driving is the only option, parking a little further from the school and walking a short distance is encouraged. The safety and physical health benefits are obvious, but it can also be a precious five minutes or so a parent can spend with their child talking about the day ahead.”