Parents are calling for increased safety measures after two children were nearly hit by cars outside a York primary school.
The incidents happened on the pedestrian crossing outside Fishergate Primary School.
A petition urging a safety review at the school has now been signed by 103 people.
The petition asks City of York Council to carry out a review of road safety around the school.
“There has been an increase in the number of incidents affecting children who walk or cycle to school,” the petition says.
“Parents have also observed an increase in careless and dangerous driving in the area.”
Fishergate Primary School head teacher Tina Clarke said: “We have had two incidents recently where children have been nearly hit by a car that didn’t stop.
“Too many times now cars haven’t stopped at the zebra crossing when children have stepped out.
“On one occasion, an eight-year-old boy had done the right thing and was pushing his bike across the crossing with his mum just behind him when a car didn’t stop and hit his bike which got knocked over.
“It was very scary, the poor child was very shaken, as was his mum.
“Before that a car didn’t stop as a child had stepped out on to the crossing – fortunately they were OK, but it is an ongoing problem.
“We used to have a crossing patrol and that made it much safer, but when the lady retired she wasn’t replaced, and we think that would make all the difference.”
The petition calls on the council safety review to consider:
- An extension to the 20mph limit already in place
- Wider pavements and segregated cycle paths
- More barriers between the road and pavement
- Improved or new pedestrian and cyclist crossing places
- Alternative locations for existing pedestrian and cyclist crossing places
- Increased signage, including vehicle activated signs
- CCTV cameras
- Restriction of traffic access by particular types of vehicles, or at particular times
You can read and sign it here.
“The children do pedestrian training and road safety and when they are following all that and still aren’t being kept safe enough, that’s really concerning,” Mrs Clarke said.
“We contact the local authority and the police quite frequently and ask them to increase patrols, which they do for a bit and that does have an impact, but when they stop the bad behaviour just creeps back in again.
“Our parents are really concerned that if something doesn’t change the next accident will be more serious.”