‘Kids will be put in danger if axe falls on lollipop people’

Plans to cut lollipop men and women across Renfrewshire will be “putting children’s lives in danger”, furious parents and councillors have said.

- EDEL KENEALY

Renfrewshire Council this week confirmed plans to cull school crossing patrollers at nine locations.

Schools affected include St Charles’ and Williamsburgh primaries in Paisley, East Fulton Primary and Linwood High School in Linwood and West Johnstone Campus, St Margaret’s and Thorn primaries in Johnstone.

The village primary schools in Bridge of Weir, Howwood and Inchinnan are also impacted.

Yesterday, parents at Howwood Primary described the decision to remove the school crossing patroller from Bowfield Road - with bad bends and frequent speeding - as “madness”.

Mary Chalmers, who has launched a petition to get the decision reversed, told the Express: “The council tried to do this four or five years ago but they changed their mind when they did an assessment and found the road was unsafe without a school crossing and nothing has changed.

“The document mentions traffic calming measures - a speed bump and road markings - but none of that is in place. Even if they were to be implemented, there's only a pavement on one side of the road and people park their cars on the road...it's hard enough for an adult to navigate never mind a child.”