ROAD SAFETY PETITION AND LOCAL OPINIONS
This petition asks for:’Clearly posted, reduced speed limits, traffic calming measures, extended clearly marked zig-zag markings, incorporating double yellow lines to replace the current single yellow line and regular patrols and enforcement of driving and parking law' outside Linden Primary School.
Road Safety is a very hot topic in Evington at the moment. The accident outside Linden Primary School has activated a community campaign. Here are some comments from Evington people:
“If we can get Linden sorted, we can expand the campaign to the rest of Evington, maybe even Leicester as a whole, so fingers crossed”
“We live on Grocot Road, off Headland Road, and we can’t park our car in the road between 3pm and 3.30pm any school day. Thirteen years ago we had petitions, calming measures and the local police involved with a campaign outside Linden School. I hope parents will take notice this time.”
“One of my hobby horses is about parents driving their children to school. They seem to think that just because they have a car, they have to use it. I suppose that most primary schools are within a fifteen minute walk of home. It does the kids good to walk from every point of view - independence, making friends, exercise, social interaction - much better than being transported around in a steel box. It’s not only Headland Road which is affected. For a ten minute period from 3:10, the road outside Mayflower School is chaotic, especially when two double decker buses are trying to pass. I think there have been problems along Davenport Road too. I always try to avoid Whitehall Road at going home time. Similarly Clarendon Park Road.”
“City wardens and lollipop ladies need more powers to issue tickets to offenders.”
“The problem is bad at Whitehall School, not just outside the school but the side roads as well; parents are parking on the corner of roads so we have to take our children out into the road in between cars to be able to see if it’s safe. There is a zebra crossing outside the school but not everyone stops even when you are on the crossing, I am forever voicing my opinion to parents that park badly but they take no notice and at the start of every school year we are back to square one with new parents bringing their children to the school.”
“Schools on bus routes are the worst – this is ridiculous.”
“How many parents drive their children to school when they live close enough to walk or scoot to school? Think of the benefits of leaving your car at home: you’ll be reducing congestion on the roads, minimising your carbon footprint, saving petrol money, and you and your child will be exercising together without too much effort.”
If you would like to arrange a scooting session for groups of youngsters (maximum x6) in Evington Park, Humberstone Park or Spinney Hill Park free of charge, please telephone Sue Massey on 241 6216.
An Evington resident signing the petition for traffic calming measures outside Linden Primary School
This photograph was taken outside Linden Primary School and shows Carrie Adams presenting the road safety petition to Keith Vaz, MP for Leicester East. People holding the petition are (from left to right) Councillor Deepak Bajaj, Bhagya Suwandaarachchi (School Council, Linden Primary School) Keith Vaz MP, Carrie Adams (Campaign organiser), Zaahid Materia (School Council, Linden Primary School) and Councillor Baljit Singh.
Other people in the picture include Mr. Zaheer Mohomed, Headteacher, relatives of the injured boy, Charandhoor and campaign supporters.