Anger over plans to scrap Hampshire school crossing patrols
- Published
Campaigners in Holbury want to save Sharon Woodford's job
Parents have described the prospect of crossing patrols being removed near schools in Hampshire as "criminal".
Hampshire County Council is consulting on removing 21 in Eastleigh, Fareham, the New Forest, Winchester, Havant, Gosport and Test Valley before April 2025 as part plans to save £1.1m.
It said there was not enough pedestrian and vehicle movements to warrant the cost of the patrols, which operate at school drop-off and pick-up times.
One community has started a petition.
Campaigners in Holbury want to save their lollipop lady Sharon Woodford, who has been doing the job for 32 years.
She mans the crossing across Lime Kiln Lane at the Studley Avenue junction, which is used by children going to Cadland Primary, Manor Infants and New Forest Academy.
Parent governor Tracie has launched a petition to keep a school crossing patrol
Parent governor Tracie, who uses the crossing four times a day with her three children, said "We don't understand it, traffic has increased, we have more heavy goods vehicles, more buses and there's as many children using the crossing - to get rid of the patrol seems criminal."
Her 11-year-old old daughter Lois has been helping to collect signatures.
Lois said: "Mrs Woody is so kind, she knows the name of every child who crosses the road and we have a nice chat every morning."
As well as the 21 school crossing patrols that will go almost immediately, the remaining ones would be reviewed to consider changing the layout of the road, installing traffic islands or signs or changing speed limits.
The remaining 154 school crossing patrol could then be removed in the future.
The county council has a £132m budget hole for 2024/5 and its future services consultation is open now.
Sharon Woodford has manned the crossing patrol for 32 years
Thirteen services are facing cuts, including the closure of some household waste recycling centres and a cut in subsidies for some bus services.
A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said a lack of money meant it had to make "difficult decisions."
"Whilst we have a legal duty to promote road safety and take measures to prevent accidents, there is no specific legal requirement for us to provide school crossing patrols, of which there are currently 184 in Hampshire," the spokesperson said.
"We know that local communities value their school crossing patrol officers, and this is not a reflection on individuals undertaking that role, but there may be effective alternatives for some sites, such as installing permanent safety measures or improvements to make a crossing point safer.
"There have been no final decisions and we have pledged that we would only withdraw a school crossing patrol officer if a crossing site were deemed safe or could be made safe."
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