12 hours ago
What kind of country is this, where a lollipop man can't high-five the kids?
When my three children attended the local state primary school, we had a wonderful lollipop lady called Moreen who would safely escort them across the busiest road in the village. The children adored her and would often buy her chocolate bars from the village newsagents.
Moreen was a bit of a local legend. As well as helping with the children, she volunteered at the village football club, called the bingo numbers at the village hall, worked in the local village café – and even manned the village post office at one point.
When she passed away quite suddenly several years ago, the village was bereft – we'd lost one of those community-spirited people who willingly sacrificed their time for the benefit of others.
You would have thought any local authority – propped up by ever increasing amounts of taxpayers' cash – would cherish these sorts of stalwarts. But no.
This week we learnt that a lollipop man in East Yorkshire has been told he can no longer high-five children while they are crossing the road because it slows down traffic.
Neil Cotton, 57, has spent the past two years working as a school crossing patrol officer in Howden, where he has formed a close bond with the children from the infant, junior and secondary schools as they crossed the junction known locally as Cross Keys Corner.
But in a social media post he announced that he would not be able to high-five the children anymore, because 'it upsets some drivers having to wait another 10 seconds'.
Clearly some idiotic and impatient drivers had complained – and rather than telling them to slow down, and take more care driving around at school drop-off and pick-up – the council has sided against Mr Cotton.
A council fun sponge, sorry, spokesman said it was 'vitally important children learn to cross the road safely, without any distractions'.
How utterly ridiculous.
It takes seconds to give a child a high-five and put a smile on their face. No doubt some jobsworth at the council has decreed it poses a health and safety problem – even though pandering to road rage-prone commuters poses an even greater risk.
