To receive the above report.

Mrs Gill, the Lead Petitioner addressed the Panel and Members noted the following key points:

Ø  The Lead Petitioner felt compelled the start the petition following the death of a child due to a road traffic accident. The child’s father witnessed the accident and the family was changed forever.

Ø  Mrs Gill had submitted a 17 point plan to combat speeding outside Eton End School and her report showed that speed outside the school was an issue.

Ø  The nearby church had allowed parents to park in their car park but, some parents were choosing not to use that initiative and were still parking on the pavements outside the school gates which reduced visibility for both pupils and motorists.

Ø  The pathway between the church and the school was very narrow and cars did not stop to let pedestrians cross. The petition called for a zebra crossing to be installed.

Ø  The school and its parents had campaigned for years for a school crossing patrol officer to be hired as the children deserved safety.

Ø  Drivers ignored the 20mph speed limit signs and a maximum speed of 91.5mph had been recorded outside the school.

Ø  The petition requested a crossing and there was strong demand for it. It was hoped that drivers would see the crossing and use common sense to slow down.

Ø  Additional speed limit signs should be installed.

Ø  Bollards installed to stop drivers parking on the pavements would address the issue of parking outside the school gates but, would not address the issues of speeding.

Ø  Raised speed humps would solve problems of speeding motorists.

The Chairman said he had a meeting with Mrs Gill and the school on 10 May 2018 as he wanted the Lead Petitioner and the school to know the Borough took road safety very seriously. He added it was not possible to have both a zebra crossing and a school crossing patrol officer outside the school as it would be too confusing so, the school and Lead Petitioner needed to choose which they would prefer. Tony Carr, Traffic and Road Safety Manager stated the main issue was when the previous school crossing patrol officer retired. They had been hired by the Borough but paid for by the school. The best option was to employ a patroller and the Borough would train and provide the equipment. The Borough would also ensure the patroller was covered by insurance. Two patrollers would need to be hired to cover sickness and holidays. The Traffic and Road Safety Manager added zebra crossings had poor safety records outside of school hours. The Department for Transport advised a patrol officer should be in place outside of schools and there were ongoing discussions with the school on that.

Councillor Quick stated she was a teacher for 40 years so she was experienced with having children arrive and leave school. She felt it did not matter where the children came from or what type of school they attended, they were all children and needed to be kept safe. Having a patrol officer was far more effective that painting stripes on a road. Drivers sometimes ignored zebra crossings so the Panel should encourage the school to work with the Borough to employ a patrol officer.

The Chairman stated he received a report from Mrs Gill and most of the suggestions within the report had already been implemented such as the bollards being installed on the pavement outside the school gates. Overgrown bushes were to be trimmed to increase the width of the footpath and the timing of the 20mph flashing light zones were to be looked at to try and increase the length of time they flashed for. He added the 20mph limit sign was very close to the school and needed to be bigger and he had spoken to the head teacher about employing a patrol officer as the budget for hiring a patroller used to come from the school budget but, the Council could provide equipment and training.

Councillor Grey stated as Ward Councillor, he cared about what happened to the children at the school. He knew the area well as he attended church nearby. He would like to see more done and accepted a crossing or zebra crossing were not recommended but, he wished to suggest implementing a raised table painted in a different colour outside the school. The speeding hazards were coming from the direction of the Thames Valley Athletics Club (TVAC) so the 30mph speed limit should be extended to nearer the TVAC so that vehicles had to slow down for longer before reaching the 20mph zones. Councillor Grey recommended that the Panel considered to do more with the speed limits and additional enhancements such as the suggested raised table in a different colour which would add more confidence to the school.

Susy Shearer, a Borough resident, agreed and supported Councillor Greys comments. She stated she had been a member of the Cycle Forum since 1999 and her children had attended Eton End School and cycled to and from school. She had also raised issues around this for years. Susy Shearer said moving the 20mph so it was more visible would be helpful and moving the 30mph speed limit sign to nearer the TVAC would reduce problems outside the school.

Councillor Sharpe stated the safety of children was very important. He queried what the school had done to increase the safety of its children and asked if there was an alternative exit that could be used that was safer for the children during peak times. The head teacher of the Eton End School stated she had met with Mrs Gill to discuss her report. She had taught at the school for 15years and in 2000 there had been another petition to the Borough stating the same facts as the current petition. The school had paid for a crossing patrol but, she retired so, she entered into discussions to find a replacement. The school had received some voluntary help with crossing patrols but, it was only temporary. The head teacher stated she had entered into communications with the Council and asked for a lady to patrol but, she was told the school would have to employ someone and had received an email stating the Council would not insure a patrol officer. The school was unable to use current members of staff as that took them away from their other responsibilities, the police also told the head teacher that staff were not insured to be out on the road. She added the caretaker had tried to intervene with bad drivers but had been met with abuse. The head teacher said traffic had increased and the school had been told by officers the Borough could provide training and equipment but, not insurance. The school was seeking to move forward and were being very supportive and had done everything it could.

Ben Smith, Head of Highways and Transport responded that safety measures were being implemented and more could be done. Employing a school patrol officer was the right way forward and conversations had moved on to how that could be done. He was happy to work with the school to employ and train a patrol officer; the Borough was doing all that it could to address all of the issues.

James Clark, a local parent, stated he was very impressed with the work done recently outside the schools within the Borough and he was very impressed with the raised table crossing outside a school in Sunningdale. The proposal that Councillor Grey put forward was the sort of scenario that would work and would go a long way to help. He was not sure a patrol officer was the solution due to the abuse they received. Mr Clark thanked Mrs Gill and the head teacher of Eton End School for their work and also thanked Councillor Grey for the suggestion of the raised table outside the school.

Councillor Bicknell stated he had listened intently to the discussion. He used to be the Lead Member for Children’s Services and there were many schools in the Borough and they all suffered with the same issues of safety. He had a daughter of seven years of age that went to school in Windsor and her school placed A-frames outside the school so that it encouraged parents to park away from the school and walk the rest of the way to the school gates. He added unfortunately, there was always an idiot that took no notice and they needed to be caught and put behind bars. Councillor Bicknell said some schools had control over the flashing lights that highlighted the 20mph zones but he felt having a patrol officer was the best way forward. If a patrol officer received abuse, there were smart phones that could record it and the abuse could be reported. Councillor Bicknell added there was no issue with insurance for patrol officers and a raised section outside the school would help.

The Chairman thanked Mrs Gill for her work on the petition and stated he was grateful to Mrs Gill for bringing the matter to Panel. Mrs Gill responded if there was a raised section outside the school, it would stop motorists speeding, that would be a good compromise if a zebra crossing could not be implemented. The Chairman asked how effective the school travel plan was. The head teacher stated families came from a wide catchment area so a large number of them arrived by car. The school did encourage families to walk. The Chairman stated he thought it was a good idea to install a raised table and have CCTV aimed at the raised section to monitor those that were speeding.

Councillor Da Costa stated the current costs of current proposals were £5,000. He wanted to know how much extra the new proposals would cost. Councillor Grey responded that the Council had embarked on a number of safety measures and suggested the school could contribute to the raised table element. The head teacher commented she would need to go back to the Board of Governors at the school to see if the school was in a position to contribute. Councillor Bicknell stated the Council would find the extra money as safety was paramount. The head teacher said the school was already paying to use the nearby church car park. She added that if the raised table was part of the recommendations to Cabinet, the school would be very happy with that.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: The Panel noted the petition and the responding report and endorsed the:

1.    Council’s approach to comply with the Department for Transport’s safety guidelines.

2.    School’s commitment to securing a school crossing patrol.

3.    And also made recommendations to install a raised table outside the school and extend the 30mph zone closer to the Thames Valley Athletics Club.