We have recently received a number of letters from residents, as part of a national campaign, raising concerns regarding road safety and lollipop ladies and men.

Sutton has a very good record on this subject.
In Sutton we currently have 13 School Crossing Patrol Officers employed at 12 sites in the Borough.  One of these is a job share which is vacant but we plan to recruit in time for the start of term in September.  We have no plans to reduce or stop any of our patrols. Only one post has been lost in recent years, at St Dunstan’s school when Transport For London installed a Pelican crossing at the site.

Sutton Council has been very pro-active in seeking funds for school crossings from Transport for London (TFL) at a number of sites in the Borough.  Bids are made once a year for TFL funding for road schemes by Councillors in discussion with community representatives and residents, and these include road safety projects.

In fact Sutton’s roads were recently acknowledged as being the safest in London in a report that examined accident rates, casualties and road conditions.  The report identified that drivers in Sutton have 4 accidents per 1,000 vehicles, which is well below the Greater London average of 8.1.
However, even this low number of casualties is too many and we are working with TFL to make our roads safer for everyone.

The Council is about to publish a Road Safety Guide for Parents, covering many aspects of Road Safety including information on School Crossing Patrols, travelling to school, and roadside behaviour when walking, driving or cycling.”

Our lollipop ladies and men provide an excellent service, keeping our roads safe and there are no plans to withdraw any posts in Sutton.