Road Safety GB has commented on new BBC figures which show that the number of school crossing patrols funded by councils across Great Britain has fallen by almost a quarter in the last five years.
The figures, obtained via Freedom of Information requests to councils, reveal that there are now 5,461 council funded school crossing patrols (SCPs) – compared to 7,010 in 2013.
Richard Hall, Road Safety GB’s SCP specialist, said: “Road Safety GB fully supports the School Crossing Patrol service which is as relevant today as it ever was and SCPs are an important and familiar part of many children’s journey to school.
“In recent years local authorities have faced a substantial drop in funding and as a result many services have faced budget reductions – the SCP service being no exception.
“How this is done is a matter for each authority, however reducing duplication by removing patrols from light controlled crossings and removing sites that don’t meet the set criteria are just a couple of examples of how those budget reductions have been managed whilst still maintaining an effective service.
“SCPs play an important part in reducing risk to pedestrians at crossing sites, however it remains a parent’s responsibility to ensure their child gets to school safely whether there is an SCP on their route or not.
“We can’t defend the huge reductions or removal of the service in some authorities but the managed reduction by many for a more lean and efficient service has meant there are fewer patrols, but still maintained a service.”
- Click here to read the full news report.
Comment on this story