School loses crossing

Press, 23 May 1977, Page 13

School loses crossing

The Canterbury Education Board is upset that the Waimairi County Council has removed a pedestrian crossing from outside the Kirkwood Intermediate School gates, without the school committee being consulted

— and with no chance of warning pupils of the change. A meeting of the board was told that a pedestrian crossing controlled by traffic lights had recently been installed about 120 m from the former crossing, which had been controlled by a school patrol. Mrs R. J. Cowell said that up to 150 children with bicycles had used the former crossing, which had now been overlaid with asphalt Now they -would have to move further along the road with their bicycles to cross at the light-controlled crossing. A recent meeting of the school committee decided the children would be in more danger using the new

crossing — on to which traffic was turning from the left and right. When the children returned to school after the May holidays they would have had no instruction about the new crossing said Mrs Cowell. The school committee would like to have seen both crossings in use, to see how well each worked. The board agreed to write to the • Waimairi County Council, the controlling authority, expressing concern about the sudden removal of the crossing. The chairman of the council’s works, reserves and traffic committee (Cr M. P. Hobby) said after the meeting that the council had apologised to the school committee for not consulting it about the crossing.

The new, light-controlled crossing would be under Ministry of Transport surveillance all next week to ensure the safety of the children using it, said Cr Hobby.