Weymouth: Council look at ways to reinstate lollipop patrols

Figures were revealed after Weymouth town councillors decided to review whether to reinstate the lollipop person for Coombe Valley Road at Preston helping pupils going to nearby St Andrew's Primary and Westfield College.

The patrol there used to be Peter Dickenson but he had to give up the role when he became a Dorset Councillor in May.

Councillors heard that the area no longer meets the criteria for having a patrol because school admissions numbers have declined.

In fact 13 local schools are without a lollipop man or woman helping children cross the road outside the gates because they do not meet the criteria for a Dorset Council-funded patrol.

So it's now being investigated whether a new arrangement can be made whereby the town council pays Dorset Council to provide a lollipop person at Coombe Valley Road - and possibly at other sites too.

The matter was discussed at the town council's Finance and Governance committee meeting where councillors voted unanimously to explore the idea. It will cost between £3,000-£5,000 a year for one site.

Coombe Valley Road (Image: Hollie Carr)

The idea was suggested by Cllr Dickenson, also a town councillor, after 'he found out that elsewhere, some town councils fund the crossing guards."

He said: “I’m asking the council if they will fund the crossing because when you talk to the parents, they say it’s carnage. Safety is a priority."

Former lollipop man Cllr Peter Dickenson (Image: Freelance) Charlotte Dodge has children at St Andrew’s and would love to see a lollipop person reinstated.

She said: “I think that it’s really important to have a lollipop man. I worry that they will only put one in place when something bad happens.

“The former lollipop man was so nice – he was definitely a safety net here.

"This road becomes quite busy and no one realises that there is a school here - I’m terrified of what could happen.”

Charlotte Dodge and her daughter (Image: Hollie Carr) Richard Butler, a Coombe Valley resident and former chair of governors at St Andrew's, said: “The removal of the school crossing patrol in Coombe Valley Road was badly managed.

“The crossing is now very dangerous for kids and parents, with poor sightlines due to parked cars, speeding cars and vehicles stopping on the yellow zigzag lines.

“It could be made much safer by reinstating the patrol or by road changes such as a zebra crossing, a width restriction at the crossing point, parking restrictions in the vicinity and a 20mph speed limit. Either way, something must be done before there’s an accident.”

The school entrance from Coombe Valley Road (Image: Hollie Carr)

Fran Booth, who has a grandchild at the school, said: “Anything that helps with safety is important. We do miss the old lollipop man, he was always very friendly.

Speaking at the town council meeting, Cllr David Harris said: “We’ve got a problem at Budmouth where it has been deemed too dangerous to have a school crossing patrol and they can’t put one in because of that danger, but they can allow the school children to cross the road unaccompanied. It’s a big issue and one that is well worth looking at.”

A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: “We adopt national guidelines in delivering a school crossing patrol service and this site no longer meets the criteria for a crossing patrol. A proposal is in place to replace the existing patrol lights with advisory ‘Speed limit 20 when flashing’ lights at school times.”