In November 2023, the much-valued school crossing patrol man ('lollipop man') of Swingate Lane retired. The decision was made by the Royal Borough of Greenwich to not seek a replacement for this role.

Overnight, crossing here turned from relative safety to a daily, worrying issue. At the junction of Swingate Lane, Kirkham Street and Kingsdale Road, cars approach with frequency from all four directions. Buses stop at either side of this junction, and cars accelerate rapidly to pass, making the judgement of erratically-moving traffic ever harder.

Without official direction, drivers won't stop to allow pedestrians to cross in almost all cases.

Families here are travelling with buggies, scooters, bikes, wheelchairs, and even much younger siblings on foot. Crossing the road takes longer than it would for a solo adult, so therefore traffic must be stationary in both directions for this to not feel very risky. We, as parents, are not always able to model safe crossing techniques to our children due to the current road conditions.

Parents speak of near misses with motor vehicles during this perilous passage. Or of long waits at the kerb, in all weathers. It is easy to see how the removal of one service has wholesale affected the choice of transport to school. 

Please sign and share this petition to reopen the conversation with local policymakers. We remain ever hopeful that we'll see a change to this decision in the near future.

 

Why is a crossing needed in this location?

Swingate Lane is a road which serves a high volume of traffic at school drop-off times in particular. The 51 bus travels in both directions along this road, in addition to minibuses and taxis travelling to Willow Dene School for children with additional needs. The road is 'C' classified and is the fastest connection on wheels between Plumstead Common and Welling town centre.

Families from many local schools use this point as a crossing - Rockliffe Manor, Timbercroft, Greenslade, and older children from Plumstead Manor.

Children as young as 10 are attempting to cross this road on their own, when children in Year 6 begin to travel independently. Pedestrian conspicuity is reduced by double-parking, and this is further exacerbated in the darker half of the year.

School crossings benefit all - even those not travelling to school

Providing safe routes to school can help tackle overall congestion. UKPA's 'Evidence on Active Travel'* report measures a 6% overall reduction in car use when active travel to school is facilitated.

Local parents anecdotally report a gross surge in traffic volumes at drop-off times, suggesting that a significant amount of local traffic is serving the school run.

A reduction in local traffic not only eases the way for drivers taking necessary longer trips, but would be expected to measurably reduce local air pollution.

As mentioned, a school crossing in this particular location, at the crossroads of Swingate Lane, Kingsdale and Kirkham was in operation until recently, showing that it would not need to have any impact on local residents' street parking. 

A school crossing is a small intervention, capable of benefitting all.

 

*References

UK Parliament, Evidence on Active Travel, London https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/96705/pdf/