Pupils at a Grays primary school are working hard to improve road and pedestrian safety in nearby streets.
Woodside Primary’s Junior Road Officer Team have been looking at all aspects of road safety around the Grangewood Avenue school.
Their latest project was to work with Police Community Support Officers in King Edward Drive close to school closing time on Wednesday (20 January) with a police speed warning device.
There were concerns that vehicles speed along the road far faster than the 30mph limit.
One of the school’s Junior Road officers, Nathan Davis, said: “The fastest vehicle we clocked was going at 29mph. We think that us being there with the sign made drivers slow down.”
In recent weeks pupils have also spoken to parents parking near the school about stopping on the kerbs and on the corners of junctions.
Thurrock Council’s own road safety team has also been working with the school.
The Junior Road Officer Team are trying to gather facts and problems to help them update the school’s travel plan.
They are also trying to find funding for car stickers to post to the home of every school pupil’s parent; have a road safety poster design competition, developing a park-and-stride scheme and lobbying for yellow lines on street corners close to the school.
I think all roads near schools should have a reduction of the current 30MPH to 20MPH, this would make it far safer for the school children, also the streets near schools need to be better patroled as some of the parents have no concept of road laws when parking or dropping of their children.