Respect our beloved School Crossing Patrollers

Buckinghamshire Council is calling on all drivers in Bucks to be respectful of the work carried out by the county's dedicated group of lollipop men and women.

Come rain or shine, the small army of 60 school crossing patrollers are out morning and afternoon during the school term with their trusty STOP signs to help children safely reach school, as well as assisting adults across the road. However, a small minority of drivers can be abusive and put lives at risk with dangerous manoeuvres just because they don’t want to stop to let people cross safely.

Examples include drivers using abusive language, not stopping when the patroller was already standing in the road and swerving round the patroller to get past. The patrollers’ job is also made more difficult by drivers blocking pavements and stopping or parking in inconsiderate locations to drop off their children, particularly at ‘School Keep Clear’ markings and at bus stops.

So, the council is relaunching its ‘Respect Me’ campaign to remind drivers to be more considerate and respectful of the job school crossing patrollers do.

Cabinet Member for Transport, Steven Broadbent said:

"Our lollipop men and women are valuable members of our local school communities and are well-loved and appreciated by the pupils and parents they help.

"We know that the majority of drivers are considerate but it seems that a minority are choosing to ignore the Highway Code and could be putting lives in danger. We will always have a zero-tolerance approach to behaviour which threatens the physical or mental wellbeing of our crossing patroller staff or which compromises the safety of those crossing the road."

Drivers must stop when they are shown the STOP 'lollipop' sign; failing to do so when requested can lead to a £1,000 fine, three penalty points and disqualification. Vehicles must also remain stationary until the pole has been lowered and the patroller is back on the pavement.

Steven continued: "We hope that communities will continue to support their local patrollers to do their job safely. We need drivers to be patient and considerate - after all it's only asking for a few seconds to ensure everyone crosses safely."

To report any incidents involving School Crossing Patrollers, please contact:

Corinne Randall—Aylesbury Vale and Wycombe (West): Tel: 01296 383 432

Georgina Longley—Chiltern & South Bucks and Wycombe (East): Tel: 01494 586 639

Notes to Editor