Petition Launched for Pedestrian Crossing Following Child Incident Near School

A petition has been initiated advocating for the installation of a pedestrian crossing outside a Nottinghamshire school, after a child was involved in a collision with a car. The boy was struck in September while on his way home from Netherfield Primary School. County Councillor Mike Adams, who represents Carlton East, launched the petition on Monday. This action followed parents “reaching out” to him after the incident. Nottinghamshire County Council stated that road safety was “important” and confirmed that the petition would be discussed at a future transport and environment cabinet member meeting. Gina Wharton recounted being on the school run when the child was struck. She remarked: “Thankfully nothing happened to the child and all was well but it was horrific and something needs to be done,” The 30-year-old described navigating the road outside the school during peak times as “scary,” noting that there were “cars everywhere.” She added: “I’m always worried about the children and I’m constantly grabbing their hands,” Russell Hellewell, who drops his daughter off at school every day, characterized the parking situation as “nuts.” The 52-year-old commented: “They park anywhere and they don’t care about the pedestrians,” He further asserted: “It’s out of order and something needs to be done.” Adams indicated that the installation of a crossing, if his petition proves successful, would cost up to £90,000. He stated: “It will provide that safe passage to get from one side of the street to the other and that’s the priority for me,” He also pledged: “I’ll be putting all my energy into making sure this happens, so I’ll be knocking on doors and asking questions to make sure it gets delivered.” A spokesperson for Netherfield Primary School said: “We ask parents to park safely when attending the school. “We do not have any jurisdiction outside of the school gates, but have engaged with Nottinghamshire County Council on several occasions to ask them to use their powers to make the road safer for everyone and hope they can help with traffic calming measures.” Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.