ePetition details

We the undersigned petition the council to install a safe crossing for children and families travelling to Naphill and Walter's Ash school. To prevent unnecessary harm, both to the school community and wider community, by taking effective measures to address the risk of serious accident or fatality on Main Road, Walters Ash.

I respectfully write to you in reference to the ongoing issues for children and young people attending Naphill and Walters Ash School. As I am sure you are aware, there have been significant and chronic concerns raised in respect of road safety, namely the requirement for students and families to cross Main Road in Walters Ash in order to reach the campus. Again, I am sure you are aware that Main Road is a busy road, considered the main artery through the village and used constantly by traffic throughout the day including bicycles, cars, public buses, heavy good vehicles and farm traffic. Further, at peak times, traffic flow and visibility can be seriously hampered by the presence of parked cars. The road has a 30mph speed limit, resulting in a 20% chance of anyone being hit at that speed sadly suffering death, with those odds unfortunately increasing for younger children.

There has been a crossing patroller stationed upon Main Road in order to facilitate safe crossing. However, the previous individual within this post left this role on 22nd October 2021. From October 2021 to January 2022 this role remained unfulfilled, meaning there had been no mechanism to enable children and families to cross this busy road in a safe manner. As a parent that attends the school at least twice per day, 5 days per week, I have witnessed many, many near misses as a result and have heard multiple reports from concerned parents who have witnessed the same. Since the implementation of a new crossing patroller in January 2022, there has already been at least one occasion in which she has been absent – just 14 days into this position – leaving the children and families once again at very serious risk whilst crossing the road. There is no contingency plan available and no safe alternative for our residents in these circumstances.

The nearest available crossing is located 0.4 miles away from the school, on New Road, towards RAF High Wycombe Site 1. To get to this crossing, for many children and families, this will require them to cross the junction of Bradenham Woods Lane and New Road. Again, as I am sure you are aware, this is a very busy junction that experiences traffic moving from four different directions and which suffers the same complicating factors pertaining to parked cars and visibility as the former crossing patrol point. There is no safe crossing point at all from the school towards Naphill, a direction from which a great proportion of children and families travel. It is a stark reality that 1 in 3 of all child pedestrians that are killed or seriously injured are aged 10-11 years old and that every month 1200 children are injured in traffic related collisions that happen within 500m of a school. It is clear that Buckinghamshire Council have rightly recognised the very real risk of serious incident at this critical crossing point, so much so that they have funded and provided a crossing patroller for a number of years.

I am aware that concerns were raised previously about the reliability and sustainability of utilising a crossing patroller in this this location. What has become clear, is that there has been no contingency plan in place in the event that any crossing patroller is not available at the required times and required days. This has caused a great deal of worry for children and families over a number of years. There have been proposals put forward for a more sustainable option, in the form of a Zebra Crossing, which have previously been discounted by Buckinghamshire Council. However, given the chronic concerns regarding recruitment and contingency planning it has become imperative that full consideration should be given to the provision of a more permanent crossing at this location.

A very recent study undertaken in Greater Manchester has evidenced that the propensity of drivers to give way increased significantly with the use of zebra crossings; the majority of drivers gave way with the crossing, while less than half did so without. Indeed, the results showed that vehicles giving way to people on foot went up from 4 in 10 to 7 in 10, a dramatic increase of 65%, when a zebra crossing is in place. This study is particularly pertinent given the analysis therein around further complicating factors, such as the presence of a junction. The evidence outlines that vehicles turning right accounted for 53% of pedestrian casualties and turning left accounted for 24%. The most common contributory factor reported was ‘Driver failed to look properly’. Given the increased volume of traffic turning in and out of the Kilnwood turning during critical crossing times alongside the distractions inevitably inherent in the chaos that is school drop-off/collection time, I am sure you would agree that these statistics, coupled with those aforementioned, paint a very grave and worrying picture of the circumstances children and families attending Naphill and Walters Ash School face on a daily basis in terms of road safety.

In these circumstances, it should be imperative for local leaders to consult on the subject of a Zebra Crossing in this location as a priority. There should be a Road Safety Audit and assessment undertaken in accordance with HD 19/-15 as a matter of urgency. Accident prevention and ensuring the safety of Buckinghamshire residents, particularly young and vulnerable children, is I am sure a shared vision and goal between the Local Authority, residents and school cohort alike. It would be a tragic and woeful situation if the worst were to happen, particularly with a concerned group of residents expressing their belief that this is sadly an inevitable turn of events should no imminent remedy be forthcoming. Undoubtedly, this would be further compounded by Buckinghamshire Council’s acknowledgement of the danger posed to children and families at this location, given the role of crossing patroller, but ultimate failure to address this immediate issue effectively.

Despite this issue being once again raised with Buckinghamshire Council, the response received on 22nd December 2021 is sadly unsatisfactory; “The provision of School Crossing Patrollers (SCP) is not a statutory function for the Council. Primarily it is the responsibility of the parent/carer to take their children to school safely”. There is absolutely no acknowledgement of the fact that the risks associated with crossing this road pertain to adults and children alike. Many parents are required to cross, not only with their older school aged children, but with pushchairs etc at the same time, all whilst contending with a steady flow of 30mph rush hour traffic.

In respect of Buckinghamshire Council’s willingness to consider the implementation of a Zebra Crossing, they responded; “Buckinghamshire Council’s Transport priority and that of Buckinghamshire’s residents is for investment to be put into road maintenance, therefore there is limited funding available for schemes such as providing new Zebra Crossings”. It is therefore that this petition is put forward to make clear the “Buckinghamshire’s residents” of Naphill and Walter’s Ash priorities, which seem to have been largely assumed by the council at this juncture. A clear priority for the residents of these Buckinghamshire village residents is to ensure the safe travel of children and families to and from school in the local area, seeking to avoid unnecessary risk, potential injury and suffering and an avoidable fatality.

This ePetition ran from 03/02/2022 to 03/03/2022 and has now finished.

135 people signed this ePetition.

Council response

For consideration at the North West Chilterns Community Board meeting on 21 July 2022 - https://buckinghamshire.moderngov.co.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeId=867