Letter: It’s a dangerous walk to school
Friday 27th May 2011, 6:00AM BST.
Letter: I am a student at Grove School and have been concerned, along with many other students, about the safety of people walking to Grove School.
I am forced to take dangerous and unnecessary risks just to walk along a road to the school.
Cars approach with no or minimal warning for pedestrians and sometimes it can take at least three to five minutes just to get a few seconds gap in traffic in which to cross over.
There have been close shaves before.
I myself have been nearly run over by a car.
It seems as though the council has turned a blind eye to this problem, as it has been raised several times in our school council meetings and taken up with Shropshire Council.
However officials say that it is too expensive to deal with this.
I was unaware that both children and adults’ lives would be risked every school day just to save a few thousand pounds at most.
Deniz Gulduren
Market Drayton
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While not wishing to minimise that problems and dangers walking to school the level of traffic befor ethe by-pass was opened was far higher. As a pupil there in the 60′s-70′ my friends and I had to contend with farm vehicles, huge waggons and cars all travelling from the Potteies to Shrewsbury at the busiest times of the day. As far as I can recall there were no accidents along Newcastle Road or Great Hales Street involving pupils. We took notice of the traffic and didn’t havae our iPods/mp3′s plugged in. [a quick dig at the younger generation with which this tyope of post would be incomplete!] Anyway Deniz be careful and I hope something positive happens.
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That’s the reason so many people go to school by car, as it’s not safe to walk because of all the cars ferrying pupils.
If only parents would realise by taking little Jimmy or Suzie by car only makes the problem worse
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Well, thank you both for your comments.
I hope the council will do the right thing.
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Kids actually walking to school? I thought that was a myth after the 80′s, the traffic around any school is horrendous because most kids can’t possibly walk anywhere…
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I think that walking to school phased out at the same time as two parents in full time work phased in – there is just not the time to accompany a child walking to school, get back home to the car and then get to work on time…although if the child is old enough to go unaccompanied that may be different…even then though, if I’m driving in the general direction, why not drop the child off so we can spend extra time together as a family. some weekdays the school run is the most time we spend together apart from breakfast and dinner.
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An issue involving a chicken and an egg comes readily to mind,take away all the parents cars because the pupils walk to school and hey presto problem solved.
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Deniz Gulduren does not say how old he / she is. Grove School is 11 to 18 years old. I would have expeceted anyone over teh age of 11 to be able to cross roads, even busy ones, safely but that assumption relies on there being basic crossing facilities and decent pavements.
I am sure that if you have enough support from other pupils and [parents, the school can be pressured to get involved ina more serious way and to help get local councillors on board. Try to build up some momentum if you want to change the way it is. To a certain degree, you have to play the system to get results but its a good learning for later life.
Good luck, stay safe.
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The letter suggests she has already tried. School council meetings, taking it up with Shropshire Council, writing to the Star… That’s a decent level of engagement I’d say.
I know the area near the Grove just a little, well enough to say I wouldn’t like to imagine it on a school day. The road and pavements are narrow and there are curves.
The first response here refers to farm vehicles etc back in the 60s and 70s but at least these were noisy and went slowly. I can imagine there’s greater speed on the road today – and, of course, there are probably parents who live close by driving little Jake and Jemimah to school in their 4x4s.
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