Belvedere parents' fear over safety outside school (From News Shopper)
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Belvedere parents' fear over safety outside school
3:53pm Wednesday 27th February 2013 in News By Sam Christie
Chris Attard and his six-year-old daughter Charlotte outside Bedonwell Infant and Junior School, Belvedere
PARENTS of children at a Belvedere school are urging Bexley Council to act before someone is seriously injured or killed during the school run.
More than 400 people have signed a petition to widen the pavement and lengthen the railings outside Bedonwell Infant and Junior School.
The pavement outside the school is less than 1.5m wide at its narrowest point and parents are calling for action.
Chris Attard, whose six-year-old daughter Charlotte was almost struck by a car door three weeks ago, said: “Cars are bumping up onto the kerb in order to park and drop off their children, which is endangering the children that use the pavement.
“Cars that temporarily park there open their doors into the path of children due to the pavement being so narrow.
“This has caused some parents to walk around the car blocking their path and into the road – again endangering the children they are trying to protect.”
In a recent poll just four out of 400 parents said they felt safe outside Bedonwell school.
In 2012 funding a section of the footpath outside the school gates was widened outside the school gates Sue Brooks, the head teacher of the infant and nursery school, said: “That has eased the situation.
“But obviously further along the pavement it’s still fairly narrow and I know that parents encounter problems to and from the school.”
A Bexley Council spokeswoman said it takes child safety “very seriously” and in addition to widening a section of the footpath has painted zig-zags on the road outside the school.
She added: “No one should be stopping on them to drop or pick up passengers and we would expect parents to behave in a responsible manner.”
Comments(33)
reptiles
says...
7:26pm Wed 27 Feb 13
simonwebb70 wrote:problem with your comment is the school is such a large school children come from far and wide so have to take the car or bus to school.But i do agree that the council should do something, but then the school has been there many yrs its not like its new news. maybe if traffic enforcement officers or cars were near by like they are sometimes in north heath parents might not stop and just park and dump thier kids out. parents see a uniform and most do not park. Unfortunately putting ziz zags means nothing to some parents - they have the attitude - but im not parked as the engine is usually still running. Mentality of some parents!
Child safety outside schools should be the council's number one priority and I hope changes are made to this school. If more parents walked their children to school as opposed to drive then the danger would be limited. Parents think they have a god given right to park anywhere when dropping off and picking up and those parents with the safety concerns should be tackling the selfish parents that are contributing to what could be the death of a child.
Lilmiss80
says...
7:46pm Wed 27 Feb 13
Double parking, pulling out into traffic (without a signal), expecting everyone else to stop suddenly oh and not forgetting the bright spark that couldn't find anywhere to park so just stopped in the middle of the road to drop the kids off (wasn't a 10 second job either)
Send around one of them annoying smart cars to ticket the idiots doing their own thing.
Marty1979
says...
8:43pm Wed 27 Feb 13
Maybe having a police officer there a few times could solve the problem far cheaper than widening pavements (which presumably would mean narrowing the road)
Chris_London
says...
10:45pm Wed 27 Feb 13
ail.com - Thanks for those who have supported the story and believe child safety is not negotiable.
highway warrior
says...
12:30pm Thu 28 Feb 13
I'm guessing, and this is just a hunch, but the pavement has been there in it's current width for at least 30 to 40 years. And the school probably just as long. So it's taken that long for the problem to arise, I wonder if there are any complaints from the 70's 80's or 90's? Maybe the fault lies with this generation of parents and their attitudes, driving kids to school etc
Just a thought, I do agree it is a very narrow path but there are far worse in the borough im sure, especially in the victorian terraced roads.
the wall
says...
1:24pm Thu 28 Feb 13
This ^ 100%
Chris_London
says...
2:14pm Thu 28 Feb 13
highway warrior
says...
10:44am Fri 1 Mar 13
Surely focussing on the ONLY the cure and not the cause is exactly the attitude that is causing this issue to start with!
Wasn't like this in my day, blah, blah....
Chris_London
says...
2:03pm Fri 1 Mar 13
The school expanded because the community needed it to, and not because it fancied a pretty extension in order to have afternoon tea in the sun. If the council required the school to be bigger, in order to take on more children (due to a growing community), then the council should also expand the infrastructure… makes sense… to me anyway.
As for focussing on the causational factor, how many years do you expect us to focus on it for? We have been focusing on the cause since Tony Blair had his first sip of tea in 10 Downing Street. You can focus on the cause as much as you want… me, the school, and the parents will focus on the cure.
Perhaps in your day children walked home by themselves too, well its 2013 now, and things are very different… blah, blah, blah.
Marty1979
says...
8:16pm Fri 1 Mar 13
So why is he causing problems for other parents?
Chris_London
says...
10:07pm Fri 1 Mar 13
Marty, Marty, Marty, do I really need to explain the photo... are you really that silly?
It was actually taken in the school half-term to prove a point. I've never parked there before in my life.
But it does Show just how narrow the path is... thanks for noticing lol
Oldchap
says...
10:43am Sat 2 Mar 13
Chris_London wrote:If the pavement was widend by just two feet, it would add over three feet to the width of the road"
After reading some of the reviews, I would like to put the story straight. It was my daughter that was almost hit by a car. The problem outside the school, which has expanded vastly over the years, is not the zig-zags. In fact the very narrow pavement has NO zig-zags, it is a parking bay for 12 cars! The bay is NOT used by any local residents. The cars bump up on the kerb and bump off again to park - every bump causes parents and children to jump out of the way. Anyone opening a car door knocks a child off their feet. If the pavement was widend by just two feet, it would add over three feet to the width of the road, making traffic flow easier - and railings would deter anyone from trying to stop-and-drop. The bay is indented, so widening the pavement does widen the road. The council have not spent a penny in years on road safety for the school. They even wanted the school to pay over £3,000 to put zig-zags in, even though every parent pays their council tax for this very thing - child safety. Bexley Council should be ashamed of themselves. If you have any more questions about the situation, please email me at: Chris_Attard@rocketm
ail.com - Thanks for those who have supported the story and believe child safety is not negotiable.
How - if the pavement is widened surely it would reduce the width of the road?
Chris_London
says...
11:50am Sat 2 Mar 13
Remove the bay that is five feet wide – widen the pavement by two, reduce the island by three feet and you get three more feet of actual road surface to use – also making traffic flow easier. Hope that’s clear lol
Chris_London
says...
11:53am Sat 2 Mar 13
Marty1979
says...
2:06pm Sat 2 Mar 13
Chris_London wrote:The picture and caption infers you were taking your daughter to school by car and were parked outside the school
To Marty1979...
Marty, Marty, Marty, do I really need to explain the photo... are you really that silly?
It was actually taken in the school half-term to prove a point. I've never parked there before in my life.
But it does Show just how narrow the path is... thanks for noticing lol
No-where does it say that the picture was specially posed or that it was during half term
And why do you feel the need to make sarcastic comments
Oldchap
says...
5:02pm Sat 2 Mar 13
Chris_London wrote:Thank you for clarifying - but I'm sure you'll agree it didn't make sense initially
The parking bay is indented. That is to say it does not infringe on the actual road itself due to a small traffic island at the beginning of the bay – road traffic moves along beside the bay and not into it.
Remove the bay that is five feet wide – widen the pavement by two, reduce the island by three feet and you get three more feet of actual road surface to use – also making traffic flow easier. Hope that’s clear lol
But why are you laughing, I thought the children's safety was a serious matter, especially as your own daughter was nearly injured
nearly right all the time
says...
5:53pm Sat 2 Mar 13
typical "helicopter" parent!
you want it so bad you pay for it!
if you are so worried change school!
Chris_London
says...
7:58pm Sat 2 Mar 13
Marty1979: You're right, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit - my apologies.
And 'nearly right all the time'... 464 children aged between 4 and 7 use that school.1: Life is a risk but society continually strives to reduce risk. 2: If being a 'helicopter parent' is meant as an insult, your'e wrong... I take take it as a massive compliment!
3: I don't have the money, and 4: Only a rat deserts a sinking ship.
aerobicsRus
says...
8:41pm Sat 2 Mar 13
my neice has a similar problem outside her school and everyone just moans about it but no one does anything.
nearlyalwaysright what have you done lately to help people, you should be ashamed of yourself! I hope to god you haven't got children.
nearly right all the time
says...
8:49pm Sat 2 Mar 13
1400 parents (700 children)
£50 each problem solved
no you want me to pay!
children in Gazza, Baghdad, Alleppo
go to school dodging bombs!
get real wake up "smell the coffee"
nearly right all the time
says...
9:50pm Sat 2 Mar 13
bungee jump?
no i dont think so!
too risky!
helicopter dad wont allow!
Big_Mac
says...
9:56pm Sat 2 Mar 13
And i hate people using examples of poorer countries as if we should all do the same or feel guilty because we live in a civilised country. You have a computer to send your nasty comments on people in gazza, baghdad and alleppo dodge bombs on a dailey basis. lucky you. Don't see you selling it to give aid. Grow up, man up, wake up and smell your own coffee!
Good on ya' Chris for trying to get something worth while form my taxes!
nearly right all the time
says...
10:47pm Sat 2 Mar 13
children have a right to live!
not have every risk removed, and not live!
everything to you £ and pences!
and rights and everyone else having to pay !
some people pack more in 25yrs
then some do in 85yrs BECAUSE they LIVE! they take chances.
this guy wants to put a lid on life!
NO RISK!
Go climb a mountain~ride a motorbike! - jump out of an areoplane!
Give children the right to LIVE!
children all over the world overcome
huge problems to go to school!
to educate them selves out of poverty
war, and famine.
And we in Bexley worry about pavements!
GO GET A LIFE!
nearly right all the time
says...
10:53pm Sat 2 Mar 13
Dont forget we have just spent £9.3 billion on Sport!
Go ask the IOC for a refund!
nearly right all the time
says...
11:09pm Sat 2 Mar 13
you really are a simpleton, who have no idea what i do or what i have done and seen!
I have been "boots on the ground"
i have been between Sunni/Shites,
They are the most civilised people you
will ever come across!
Their children are polite, educated
anbd they go to school(6 dys a week)
Home work done! and able to converse in English /Arabic/French
Freinds of mine had to check for IEDs so they could go to school!
And you want Zig-Zag lines!
reptiles
says...
8:00am Mon 4 Mar 13
nearly right all the time wrote:IF only it was that easy to change schools! unfortunately you get the school your given whether your local to the school or not. so no he cant "just change schools as you put it"
life is full of risk!
typical "helicopter" parent!
you want it so bad you pay for it!
if you are so worried change school!
life is full of risk BUT we should be able to protect our children whilst on the journey to school and back without the worry of the way other parents park.
I have seen at other schools that i drive past that parents either drive up on the pavement, or it has been known for them to stop at the lollypop person and chuck their child out in the middle of the road
PaulErith
says...
8:44am Tue 5 Mar 13
Bedonwellresident
says...
11:28am Tue 5 Mar 13
I am sick of people parking across my drive and blocking all the road up twice a day, if i'm off from work this disrupts my day but the culture seems to be 'i'm alright jack' !
I personally think its not the road/pavement that is the issue here, its the parents all insisting on driving their kids to school when a majority only live local, its no wonder that we have a child obesity problem in this country.
Bob Downondiss
says...
11:41am Tue 5 Mar 13
Chris_London
says...
12:35pm Tue 5 Mar 13
I totally agree with the comments on walking your child to school, as most do live within a ten minute walk. I urge ALL parents to please walk your child to school – it gives your child exercise, stops cluttering up the roads, and is more considerate to local residents.
highway warrior
says...
12:51am Wed 6 Mar 13
1) The road has always been that width, the islands mentioned at the start of the bay were installed to create a natural crossing point where visibility was optimised.
2) The parking bay could not be put opposite to where it is now as residents coming off their drives would be pulling out between parked cars, extremely dangerous and high risk.
There have been some really good comments so far, balanced arguments and good points.
Hope a new path gets installed.
banjo8
says...
2:47pm Wed 6 Mar 13
simonwebb70 says...
4:48pm Wed 27 Feb 13