Latest news with #schoolcrossing
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Council bans lollipop man from high-fiving children as they cross the road because of health and safety concerns and claims it 'slows down traffic'
A much-loved lollipop man has been banned from high-fiving schoolchildren as they cross the road – because council officials claim it causes traffic delays and poses a health and safety risk. Neil Cotton, 57, has spent the last two years brightening up the school run in the East Yorkshire town of Howden with his cheerful attitude and signature high fives. But the school crossing patrol officer has now been told by East Riding of Yorkshire Council to stop the friendly gesture at once – because it's seen as a 'distraction' and could make children forget how to cross the road safely. The stunned lollipop man took to social media to share the bizarre order, telling parents and supporters: 'I have been instructed that I can no longer high-five children any more whilst crossing the road. 'This is because it upsets some drivers having to wait another 10 seconds.' The junction, locally known as Cross Keys Corner, sees children from infant, junior and secondary schools cross the road daily and for many, Neil's high fives have become a happy part of the morning routine. But now council killjoys have stepped in, saying children should be focused 'without any distractions'. The post, which has since been removed, sparked outrage from local parents with many branding the decision 'absurd' and 'ridiculous'. Mother-of-one Kirsty Wilcox told BBC Look North: 'I think it's wrong. Why shouldn't he, what's wrong with it? 'It puts a smile on the kids' faces. My son does it all the time. But now he gets upset because he's not allowed to do it.' Fellow parent Theresa Holt said: 'It's silly. It takes literally seconds and it gives that child that little bit of happiness. He's great with my little boy and he sees him as a friendly face.' Even drivers weighed in on the row – with many defending Mr Cotton and blasting the council's 'over-the-top' approach. Tony Brooke said: 'It's absurd. Just to high five to them, I don't see there's a problem with that. 'He's going to hold the traffic up to let the kids across so I wouldn't have thought it would add any more time to people's journeys at all. It's crazy.' Another motorist, Michael Dalton, added: 'I think it's a bit OTT to be honest. It's a bit PC [political correctness] going crazy again. As a driver, we need to be a bit more courteous, certainly at school times.' In a statement, East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: 'It is vitally important that children learn to cross the road safely, concentrating without any distractions, walking carefully and being vigilant of the traffic. 'In this particular case, one of our officers spoke with this crossing patrol and simply reminded them of the need not to have distractions while children are crossing. 'However, we are confident they will continue doing a fantastic job and they are much appreciated.' Mr Cotton also revealed he has been told not to help guide larger vehicles around the junction because of fears the council could face legal action if there was an accident.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Lollipop man told to stop giving children high fives by council
A lollipop man has been told by a council he can no longer high five children in case they are distracted while crossing the road. Neil Cotton, 57, had been working as a school crossing patrol officer in Howden, East Yorkshire, for two years, when he shared on social media that he had been 'instructed that I can NO LONGER high five the children anymore whilst crossing the road' and 'NO LONGER guide the larger vehicles across Cross Keys Corner to eliminate the chances of legal action if there were to be an accident.' Mr Cotton helps children from pre-school, primary and secondary schools cross the junction known as Cross Keys Corner, of which he warned drivers to 'be careful at the junction as there will be large vehicles in the middle of the road AND some larger vehicles will have no option but to mount the pavements.' The local community shared their dismay over the decision, with Kirsty Wilcox telling BBC Look North that her son was upset that he was no longer allowed to high five the school crossing patrol officer. 'I think it's wrong. Why shouldn't he, what's wrong with it?' She added: 'It puts a smile on the kids' faces.' Another parent, Theresa Holt, said: 'It's silly. It takes literally seconds and it gives that child that little bit of happiness. He's great with my little boy and he sees him as a friendly face.' Drivers have also protested against the move, with Michael Dalton calling the move 'a bit OTT.' 'As a driver, we need to be a bit more courteous, certainly at school times' he added. Driver Tony Brooke described the move as 'absurd', adding he saw no problem with Mr Cotton high fiving the children. 'He's going to hold the traffic up to let the kids across so I wouldn't have thought it would add any more time to people's journeys at all. It's crazy.' A spokesperson from East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: 'We value all our school crossing patrols, they are pillars of the community, and do a very important job – meeting and greeting children, parents and pedestrians and helping to keep them safe while crossing the road. 'It is vitally important that children learn to cross the road safely, concentrating without any distractions, walking carefully and being vigilant of the traffic. 'In this particular case, one of our officers spoke with this crossing patrol and simply reminded them of the need not to have distractions while children are crossing. 'However, we are confident they will continue doing a fantastic job and they are much appreciated."
BBC News
13 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Howden lollipop man told to stop giving kids high-fives
A lollipop man said he had been told he could no longer high-five children while they are crossing the road because it slows down traffic. Neil Cotton, 57, has been working as a school crossing patrol officer in Howden, East Yorkshire for about two years. In a social media post, he said he could not high-five the children anymore, because "it upsets some drivers having to wait another 10 seconds". East Riding of Yorkshire Council said it was vitally important children learned to cross the road safely, without any distractions. Mr Cotton helps children from the infant, junior and secondary schools in Howden to cross the junction known locally as Cross Keys Corner. His social media post received more than 100 comments before it was taken down. On the school run, Kirsty Wilcox, told BBC Look North: "I think it's wrong. Why shouldn't he, what's wrong with it? "It puts a smile on the kids' faces. My son does it all the time. But now he gets upset because he's not allowed to do it." Another parent, Theresa Holt, said: "It's silly. It takes literally seconds and it gives that child that little bit of happiness. He's great with my little boy and he sees him as a friendly face." 'It's absurd' Driver Tony Brooke described the move as "rules gone mad". "It's absurd. Just to high five to them, I don't see there's a problem with that," he said. "He's going to hold the traffic up to let the kids across so I wouldn't have thought it would add any more time to people's journeys at all. It's crazy."Another driver, Michael Dalton, added: "I think it's a bit OTT to be honest. It's a bit PC [political correctness] going crazy again. As a driver, we need to be a bit more courteous, certainly at school times."East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: "It is vitally important that children learn to cross the road safely, concentrating without any distractions, walking carefully and being vigilant of the traffic."In this particular case, one of our officers spoke with this crossing patrol and simply reminded them of the need not to have distractions while children are crossing."However, we are confident they will continue doing a fantastic job and they are much appreciated."Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
02-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Last lollipop patrols in Croydon to end this year
A south London council has said safety remains a priority as it plans to remove its remaining lollipop school crossing patrols by the end of the year. Croydon Council's cut, which affects six school sites across the borough, has been called "penny-pinching" by a decision, revealed through a Freedom of Information request by InsideCroydon, will see the crossing services during school drop-off and pick-up hours stopped at the end of the year. Road crossing safety is a non-statutory service, meaning the council is under no legal obligation to provide it. A spokesperson for the council said risk assessments had been completed and "road safety remains a priority". The six schools affected are:Cypress Infants and Juniors in South Norwood HillNorbury Manor Primary in NorburyOrchard Way Primary in ShirleyMonks Orchard Infants and Juniors in ShirleyOasis Academy Ryelands in WoodsideGreenvale Primary in SelsdonLib Dem councillor Claire Bonham told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she had been contacted by anxious parents in her Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood said: "They are rightly concerned that this will have an impact on their children's safety."Lollipop men and women are a valued part of the community, keeping children safe and providing a safe, reassuring presence for families on their way to school."Bonham said it felt "like penny-pinching" and said she had written to the council's Conservative mayor Jason Perry "to set out my opposition to cutting these services".Labour councillor Rowenna Davis, for Waddon ward, also criticised the budgetary school road safety patrols have been sharply reduced over the last decade. In 2011, there were 22, but a previous Conservative-led council cut that number in council said the recent decision followed a 2022 service review, which was discussed in committee in December 2022 before being approved in the budget plan in October added that the affected schools were notified in March this year.A Croydon Council spokesperson said: "Most patrols were phased out many years ago and risk assessments have been completed for the six remaining sites, with one now earmarked for a permanent crossing and three located on Healthy School Streets."The council said its road safety officer would continue to work with schools on its other programs.
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Call for lollipop people to be brought back at Peterborough schools
Parents have called on a council to reinstate school crossing patrols before a "tragedy strikes".Peterborough City Council (PCC) cut the patrols (also known as lollipop people) near primary schools in Eye, Fletton, Newark Hill and Werrington in Cambridgeshire to help balance its parents want them brought back and in a petition, said their removal put "children's lives at risk".Angus Ellis, cabinet member for environment and transport at PCC told the BBC it was one of the "difficult decisions" councillors had to make, and "20mph zones are in place" near the schools. Mum Kerri Deboo, whose children attended Werrington Primary School, said she was "really concerned by the local authority's recent decision". "There are lots of different vehicles... often at quite high speeds despite the fact there are signs for the crossing," she said."There is no way my children - aged four and seven - can cross this road safely on their own. I would never feel safe that the cars would stop here."Parents at the schools protesting against the plans started a petition which said: "Let's not wait for a child to be injured or killed before we take action - we call on councillors to do it before tragedy strikes." South Norfolk Labour MP Ben Goldborough said he had great support for lollipop people."Just opposite my constituency office, there is a brilliant one - Paul," he told BBC Politics East."They are not just about road safety, they are about community engagement and cohesion."They are the glue that binds our small villages and towns together."East Suffolk independent councillor Julia Ewart said: "The lollipop people are guardians of schools. "They make sure your children are getting there safely and they know children who aren't there, and that's important too."Conservative South Northamptonshire MP Sarah Bool added: "We need to give much more attention to how we keep our communities safe and particularly our little children." 'Education for pupils' Ellis said a "proposal to remove the school crossing patrol service at four schools in Peterborough was agreed as part of the council's budget for 2024-25". "It is one of a number of difficult decisions councillors have had to make to be able to balance the budget," he added. "Crossings and or speed restrictions such as 20mph zones are in place at each of the schools, and we are also providing road safety education for pupils." BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 18 May at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
