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Council
risks children's lives as school road safety barrier moved without risk
assessment A number of very concerned residents have been in contact with me to express serious fears about child and parent safety right outside a primary school on a very busy main road (pictured below)
The barrier outside Pensford Primary School was hit by traffic earlier this year and this has now led to B&NES moving the barrier back, effectively to protect the barrier from the traffic. Use this link to see the location For some considerable time I have been pushing the Council to take steps to improve road safety for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists on the A37, not just in Pensford but right the way from Farrington Gurney to Whitchuch village. For example, in 2008 I conducted a major A37 traffic safety survey and fed the findings back to the Police, Council and others in order that future safety improvements could be made, properly taking local opinion into account. Use this link to see the main findings on this website But in Pensford, by moving the safety barrier so far back from the kerb, the council has significantly narrowed the pavement space safely available to families. They have done this right outside a primary school on the bend of a very busy main road where large vehicles often cut across the pavement space as they travel around the corner. Concerned parents say that whilst the roadside barrier has been hit by vehicles in the past, it has done its job in protecting youngsters as they walk along the pavement. They now fear the repositioned barrier can no longer properly shield the children and that youngsters will be hit instead. People leaving and arriving at school have begun using the pavement on both sides of the relocated barrier, greatly increasing the risk of death or serious injury from traffic just inches away. Of course they shouldn't go outside the barrier and I am urging parents and children to stay on the safe side until this situation is remedied. However, this is easier said than done as the much narrowed pavement width makes manoeuvring a child's buggy or pram difficult, and little ones will try and walk outside the barrier very close to speeding traffic. As many people have commented, it seems extraordinary that B&NES appears to be more interested in protecting a barrier from damage than in protecting children. The fact that B&NES did this without calculating the risk to children is concerning. As many people know, B&NES is currently run by the Conservatives, yet I continue to make representations on various issues to councillors, despite them being political opponents, because I believe it is essential we work together to improve the quality of life of local people. I have therefore asked the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive for a full explanation of what happened in this case and, if it proves necessary, for the barrier to reinstated to its original location. We should be making the village safer for people, not more dangerous. Sadly B&NES Council is developing a reputation for failing to carry out basic responsibilities to protect children from main road traffic. Just last year they failed to replace a broken child safety fence that separated a playground from the busy A4 Bristol to Bath road (in Vandyck Avenue, Keynsham). It was only after pressure from local residents and I that they thankfully backed down and mended it. I continue to welcome further comments and observations about this or any other road safety issue from constituents. Please get in touch to let me know what you think. Dan Norris MP, October 2009 |
It
follows Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) Council's decision
to move a child safety barrier back from the kerb, meaning there is less
safe pavement space for pedestrians than there used to be. Through persistent
questioning of B&NES, I have now discovered that this re-location
was made by the Council without them properly calculating the dangers
it would cause through a risk assessment or 'safety audit'.