To consider the following petition requiring debate:

We the undersigned petition the Council to to take action with regard to: TAYLOR RD / STOKOE AVE CORNER Stokoe Avenue (off Taylor Road) is proving a dangerous crossing area for our children at Oldfield Brow Primary School. There has been a few near misses reported of careless driving close to our children. Taylor Road alone is also known for speeding vehicles. As a parent of one of those children I also speak on behalf of other concerned parents that our Council needs to act now. ROAD SIGNS / MARKINGS: On Taylor Road there is only ‘one’ sign to warn drivers of a school nearby. This is not enough. Taylor Road has poor visibility due to our many beautiful trees, hence reducing children being seen. More signs are urgently required. CONGESTION / POLLUTION: Taylor Road is heavily congested at school times; although a zebra crossing at Taylor/Stokoe would potentially help reduce traffic, we are still exposed to the pollution from parked cars with engines running (especially at the Crescent).

There were 2,456 children under 16 seriously hurt or killed on Britain’s roads last year. Oldfield Brow has an excellent community. Our roads need to be SAFE and our air needs to be cleaner. Don’t let our road be one of them.

Proposal / Solutions:
• School Crossing Patrol (between hours of 8.15am - 9.15am and 3pm - 4pm) or Zebra Crossing (permanent)
• Speed limit reduced to 20mph and/or Speed bumps / cameras / road chippings / signs
• School Road Signs and/or Children Crossing Signs
• SLOW Road Markings
• Turn Engine Off Signs

Lead Petitioners, Claire Knowles and James Cash introduced the following petition which had received 536 signatures in support:

“We the undersigned petition the Council to take action with regard to:

TAYLOR RD / STOKOE AVE CORNER: Stokoe Avenue (off Taylor Road) is proving a dangerous crossing area for our children at Oldfield Brow Primary School. There have been a few near misses reported of careless driving close to our children. Taylor Road alone is also known for speeding vehicles. As a parent of one of those children I also speak on behalf of other concerned parents that our Council needs to act now.

ROAD SIGNS / MARKINGS: On Taylor Road there is only ‘one’ sign to warn drivers of a school nearby. This is not enough. Taylor Road has poor visibility due to our many beautiful trees, hence reducing children being seen. More signs are urgently required.

CONGESTION / POLLUTION: Taylor Road is heavily congested at school times; although a zebra crossing at Taylor/Stokoe would potentially help reduce traffic, we are still exposed to the pollution from parked cars with engines running (especially at the Crescent).

There were 2,456 children under 16 seriously hurt or killed on Britain’s roads last year. Oldfield Brow has an excellent community. Our roads need to be SAFE, and our air needs to be cleaner. Don’t let our road be one of them.

Proposal / Solutions:

·         School Crossing Patrol (between hours of 8.15am - 9.15am and 3pm - 4pm) or Zebra Crossing (permanent)

·         Speed limit reduced to 20mph and/or Speed bumps / cameras / road chippings / signs.

·         School Road Signs and/or Children Crossing Signs

·         SLOW Road Markings

·         Turn Engine Off Signs”

The lead petitioners outlined the main reasons for the petitions ask, namely, a recent near miss from someone reversing up Stokoe Avenue; the dire need for a zebra crossing on this road to increase safety; parking and road safety coming up as the single biggest issue in the schools recent parent and carer forum; a community wide call for wider safety measures in the area; and that voice of the children at the school, who had conveyed that they did not feel safe walking to school.

Councillor Adshead, Executive Member for Highways, Environmental and Traded Services responded to the petition on behalf of the controlling group highlighting the seriousness the administration took towards safety around school, referring to the Safety around Schools steering group he set up when he became the Executive Member. This group still met and looked primarily at parking situations. The petitioners were informed that the school had been added to the list for 20 miles per hour (Mph) around the area, as well as “no idling engines” signs set to be put up. The Executive Member thanked the petitioners for bringing the issue to the Council and indicated that the Council would now work with the parking enforcement team, the local PCSO, and the school to explore how double yellow lines could be added around the school.

Councillors  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61