We've been without a school crossing patrol officer for two terms and Croydon Council have rejected our request for a zebra crossing on the following grounds:

(a) it would result in the removal of a number of on-street parking places outside residential properties, which is likely to prove unpopular with residents and attract objections during the necessary legal process to implement this.

(b) there are existing traffic calming features which include a part-time 20mph traffic speed limit

(c) this site does not have a poor accident accident record and there are other sites around the borough that have a higher priority.

However, our children (particularly years 5 and 6) are currently walking to school unsupervised and crossing the road on their own. This is encouraged by all schools in order to give the pupils confidence in their road skills and reduce the risk of accidents when they travel to their High Schools unassisted but, without assistance on a busy road full of parked cars, lorries, buses. How safe will our children remain?

Woodside school has access to two zebra crossings in addition to a school crossing patrol person, so why not us? Other schools in the area also have additional safety measures.

This decision has been heavily influenced by spending cuts. Once our school crossing patrol officer stepped down, a replacement was not sought as a way of reducing costs to the Public Purse. I would point out that a need was identified for this service before her departure, and there has been no change in the School's circumstances since. In addition to this, our school is a state school, and should be entitled to the same funding with regard to road safety issues.

Concern has been raised by both teachers and parents on the need for additional safety measures on Birchanger Road. Why do we have to wait for a potentially fatal accident to occur in order to justify having a zebra crossing or patrol person? For this reason, we are launching the petition in order to help demonstrate to the Council the urgent need for additional road safety improvements, and would greatly appreciate it if the local community could support our campaign.