Crossing concern

Drivers are putting children in danger near a Southwell school by driving too fast and parking badly, according to its head.

Nottinghamshire County Council installed a crossing point, built out from the pavement, near Holy Trinity Infants’ School to try to make it safer for pupils and parents to cross.

The head, Mrs Kathryn Thompson, said that despite this, drivers were speeding and parking inappropriately on Westgate, making it unsafe.

“I generally think it has been an improvement but there are still concerns,” Mrs Thompson said.

“It is not clear that the road has been built out and, although there is a sign there for the school that flashes, there isn’t one visible for traffic coming from Halam Road, and people come fast round the bend.

“People start to cross with their children and have to go back on to the built-out pavement.

“It has created a bay so people are parking there illegally. Children cannot be seen if you come fast round the bend and nor can the parents see what is coming.

“I have spoken to drivers about not parking there and received a bit of verbal abuse.”

Mrs Thompson wants more signs or road markings to make drivers aware of the school.

She said: “Outside the school in Halam, which is a less busy road, they’ve got Slow Down written on the road both ways in big white letters.”

Southwell’s county councillor, Mr Bruce Laughton, said the ideal solution would be to have a pedestrian crossing, but that was not possible.

He said: “We have been waiting to see what the impact of the build-out was, but really what it wants is a pedestrian crossing.

“With schemes like this we do sometimes get things wrong and we have to have a look at them again.”

Mr Laughton said there were problems recruiting crossing patrols in Southwell and Bingham.