Latest news with #schoolchildren
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Leyland housing estate plan rejected over road safety fears
Plans to build a new housing estate have been rejected by councillors amid concerns it could pose a danger to children walking to and from a application for a 23-home development on land off Cocker Lane in Moss Side, Leyland, was rejected by South Ribble Borough Council's planning Friends of Cocker Lane group said they were "relieved" by the decision but were prepared to "fight on" in the event of an Betteridge, acting on behalf of the applicants, said the development came with "a number of improvements to Cocker Lane…which will enhance [it] and provide a safer route for all users – not just those of the proposed development". He said it would be particularly beneficial for the schoolchildren who currently have "no choice but to walk in the road", the Local Democracy Reporting Service committee was told that up to 150 children used Cocker Lane to get to and from school at any one time, usually walking in the road, due to the lack of a footpath between the junction with Birchwood and the proposed development Adrian Dean said a proposed 1.8m-wide pavement was not enough to "safely accommodate the hundreds of school children that walk the lane every school day".Mother-of-two Abigail Saunders quoted a comment from Moss Side Primary headteacher Andrew Wright, in which he said the estate created a scenario "where an accident is near-certain to occur involving children, either outside our school or on the roads close by".Addressing committee members, Ms Saunders said: "Are you happy to roll the dice…with my child's life?"A plan submitted on behalf of applicant BW SIPP Trustees Ltd proposed the creation of a continuous pavement on the south side of Cocker Lane, to replace the narrow grass verge that currently exists, along with the removal of the equivalent strip of greenery on the north side to allow the road to be slightly Lane resident Michael Johnson told members that if a grass verge was removed as part of the plans then residents would need to stand in the road to trim their Johnson described it as "a plan that might seem to fit on a piece of paper, but is hazardous in practice".The proposal was refused on the grounds it would have a "detrimental" impact on the character of the immediate area, after councillors were advised it would be difficult to defend a rejection on road safety grounds as highways bosses at Lancashire County Council were satisfied with the the meeting heard it had taken seven reworkings of the blueprint to persuade the county council that the largely pavement-free route could be made safe for both construction traffic and the increase in vehicles generated by the new Devenish, a consultant from SCP acting on behalf of the applicant, told the committee that the repeated rethinks surrounding the road layout were a positive and it was normal for several revisions of a scheme to be submitted. 'Inappropriate application' Moss Side ward councillor Michael Green said this was "probably the most inappropriate application" he had ever seen in nearly 20 years representing the said the design "effectively shoehorns the scheme into the locality as tightly as you could possibly imagine".Councillor Phil Smith said his concerns about the plans had only been strengthened by a site visit after members deferred a decision at the last committee Elaine Stringfellow said she had seen children wearing headphones and looking down at their phones while walking in the road which left her thinking "how much better it would be if there was a pathway there…that was continuous". Permission was refused by six votes to two on character and visual appearance grounds. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
CTV News
7 days ago
- General
- CTV News
‘No criminal intent' by driver who approached schoolchildren in Kingston, Ont.: police
Kingston police say there was no criminal intent by a driver who approached some schoolchildren and offered them a ride to class, but the incident serves as a reminder to parents to talk to their kids about strangers. Police began investigating Monday morning when a man in a vehicle approached three kids walking to school in the area of Sierra Avenue and Bayridge Drive and allegedly offered them a ride. When the children refused, police said he asked them where they went to school. In an update some hours later, police said they had concluded their investigation and determined there was no criminal intent on behalf of the driver. The incident, however, offers a learning opportunity, police said. 'Although this incident was not criminal in nature, it serves as a good reminder to parents and guardians to speak to their children about safety plans and procedures,' Kingston police said in a news release. 'Parents are reminded to speak to their children about not accepting rides from strangers, disclosing personal information and overall safety procedures.'
News24
7 days ago
- Business
- News24
Cape Town has more informal dwellings than Johannesburg, household survey shows
Food insecurity remains a major concern for 81% of households. At lease 98% of SA children of school-going age are enrolled in schools. Social grants are making a difference, with a 100% uptake among pensioners. The latest General Household Survey released by Stats SA on Tuesday provides a detailed snapshot of the living conditions across the country's metropolitan areas. The data highlight both progress and persistent challenges in sectors such as agriculture, education, health and infrastructure, offering insights into the realities faced by households in SA's major cities last year. Agriculture and food security The survey reveals significant disparities in agricultural engagement among the metros. The Buffalo City Metro Municipality leads with 17.7% of households involved in agricultural activities, while Cape Town and eThekwini report the lowest participation at 2.1% and 2.3%, respectively. Fruit and vegetable production is the most common activity, particularly in Buffalo City (9.7%) and Mangaung (7.5%). However, livestock and poultry production remain minimal nationwide, with Buffalo City again an outlier at 5.8% for livestock. Food insecurity remains a concern. While 81.8% of households report adequate food access, 12.1% face inadequate access and 6.1% experience severe food shortages. Nelson Mandela Bay records the highest rate of severe food insecurity (18.4%), contrasting sharply with eThekwini (0.8%). These figures underscore the uneven distribution of food security, with rural-urban divides and economic disparities playing a role. Education, enrolment and challenges Education indicators show high enrolment rates for children of primary school age (98.5% nationally), but challenges persist for older learners. Only 85.6% of 16- to 18-year-olds attend educational institutions, with Cape Town (77.5%) and eThekwini (78.5%) lagging behind Mangaung (94.5%). Pupils with special needs face significant barriers. Nationally, 10.7% of children with disabilities, aged seven to 15, are not enrolled, rising to 41.1% in eThekwini. Corporal punishment remains an issue, particularly in eThekwini, where 19.8% of the pupils reported incidents, compared to the national average of 3.7%. Access to support services varies. While 62.3% of pupils benefit from nutrition programmes, only 4.4% received free scholar transport, with Nelson Mandela Bay (31%) and Tshwane (11.7%) outperforming other metros. Health and social development Medical aid coverage remains low, with only 22.1% of individuals covered nationally. Tshwane (29.7%) and Cape Town (27.6%) report the highest rates, while Mangaung (14.9%) trails behind. Public healthcare reliance is high, with 64.3% of households using public facilities as their primary healthcare source. READ: Nurses union backs NHI: 'Let's give new healthcare system a chance' Social grant uptake is nearly universal among the elderly, with all the metros reporting 100% access to old-age pensions. However, broader social grant coverage for those older than 60 varies, from 52.6% in Cape Town to 75.9% in Mangaung. Disability rates among the elderly are notable, with Mangaung recording the highest proportion of severely disabled individuals (14.1%). Housing and infrastructure Housing conditions reveal ongoing inequities. Nelson Mandela Bay has the highest proportion of households in state-subsidised homes (35.7%), while Johannesburg has the lowest (8.2%). Informal dwellings remain prevalent, particularly in Johannesburg (17.4%) and Cape Town (18.8%). Nationally, 45,5% of children lived with mothers only while less than a third (31,4%) of children lived with both parents. More than one-quarter (26,9%) of households consisted of a single person More here: #StatsSA #ZAGHS #GovZAUpdates #ServiceDeliveryZA — Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) (@StatsSA) May 27, 2025 Water access is broadly available, but 7.9% of households use substandard sanitation facilities, with eThekwini (18.9%) and Mangaung (15.8%) facing the highest rates. Bucket toilets are still in use in some areas, notably eThekwini (185 000 households) and Tshwane (70 000 households). Transport and environmental concerns Public transport reliance is high, with minibus taxis dominating (34.7 million monthly trips nationally). However, transport costs strain household budgets, with 15.4% spending more than 30% of their income on transport. Environmental issues such as waste removal and pollution vary by metro. While 84.7% of households benefit from regular refuse removal, Buffalo City (70.8%) and Mangaung (79.1%) lag behind. Noise and air pollution are prominent concerns in Buffalo City (30.2%) and Mangaung (31.5%), while land degradation affects 55% of households in Mangaung.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Old Leatherman mystery could be solved as experts expose troubling probe into America's real-life Bigfoot and demand hidden archive is unsealed
A French-speaking man who roamed the Northeast in a handmade leather suit in the late 1800s became a beloved local celebrity lauded in newsprint as the 'Old Leatherman.' Schoolchildren were let out of class to greet and feed the friendly vagabond as he passed by on his 365-mile circuit of New York and Connecticut towns, which he traversed, like clockwork, once every 34 days.
CBS News
20-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Alert Day issued for Wednesday morning heavy rain
After a beautiful Tuesday afternoon with sunshine and mild temperatures, changes are on the way. Clouds will increase tonight, with overnight lows dipping into the mid-50s. Rain will begin moving into western Maryland later tonight and spread across the rest of the state by early Wednesday morning. The rain will be widespread and, at times, heavy—impacting the morning commute and making for a soggy wait at the bus stop for school children. To account for potential delays and travel inconveniences, we've issued a WJZ First Alert Weather Day for Wednesday. The heaviest and most widespread rainfall is expected in the morning hours. While showers will become more scattered during the afternoon, it will remain damp and chilly. High temperatures will struggle to climb out of the 50s. Some areas will pick up close to an inch of rain before the rain tapers off. The unsettled weather continues Wednesday night through Thursday, with periods of showers expected. Temperatures will remain on the cooler side, topping out in the low to mid-60s Thursday afternoon. By Thursday evening and night, showers will become more isolated. Friday brings limited improvement, with only a few isolated showers or patches of drizzle expected—mainly in the morning. Afternoon highs will again hold in the mid-60s. Looking ahead to the holiday weekend, conditions begin to improve. Saturday will be partly to mostly cloudy, with highs in the upper 60s to near 70. Sunday looks to be the pick of the weekend, featuring a mix of sun and clouds and highs in the low 70s. For Memorial Day on Monday, a storm system passing to the south could bring a few showers into areas west and south of Baltimore. However, most of the region is expected to remain dry, albeit under extra cloud cover. Highs will reach the mid-70s. Partly cloudy skies are expected Tuesday, with highs near 70 as we head toward the end of May. Stay with WJZ for the latest updates as we track this week's rain and monitor the potential for changes over the holiday weekend.
