THE number of school crossing patrols in Solihull is set to be cut by half under latest council cuts proposals.
And no new ones would be permitted under the plan to save £100,000.
Half of the 44 school crossing patrols would go in the next 18 months, according to Solihull council documents released ahead of a meeting on Thursday (November 2).
The transport and highways committee was due to discuss the matter as part of a review of Solihull’s Safer Routes to School initiative.
Eight of the 22 crossings have been earmarked for ‘disestablishment’ by September next year.
Facing the axe are crossings at Stratford Road and Blackford Road, Lode Lane and Buryfield Road, High Street and Solihull Lodge, Widney Manor Road and Hillfield by the entrance to the Sixth Form College and St Alphege Junior School, Aqueduct Lane and Mill Lodge School, Hurst Lane North and Castle Bromwich Juniors, Lyndon Road and Chapel Fields School and Lyndon Road and Daylesford School.
These crossings are all permanent pedestrian crossings such as zebra, pelican, toucan or puffin crossings.
At these locations, a lollypop lady or man provides support and helps people to use the crossing correctly.
Another of the options being examined by councillors is that no new requests for school crossing patrols should be approved.
And other crossings would be ‘discontinued’ at sites which have been vacant for more than 12 months without any road safety issues.
The council documents state there are ten crossing sites vacant, and some of these have been for long periods of time due to difficulties recruiting.
The documents, written by transport and highways officer David Keaney reveals: “The school crossing patrol service is not a statutory service, and some authorities have reduced or withdrawn the service altogether.”
Councils across the country have been cutting school crossing patrols in response to heavy government funding cuts to local authorities since 2010.
