New pedestrian crossings are among a series of measures making it safer and easier for students to walk to and from schools across Greater Manchester.
Over the last few years, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has improved 59 junctions and installed or upgraded 152 crossings, with 210 schools now within 400 metres (a five-minute walk) of a new crossing.
One such school is Philips High School, in Whitefield, Bury where crossings with ‘green man’ pedestrian signals have been installed on every side of a nearby junction. They were put in after concerns over the safety of the crossing were raised by the school.
The ‘dangerous’ junction – which is also close to Higher Lane Primary School – had seen two traffic collisions over the last five years – including one which injured a student – and a number of ‘near misses’.
Around 2,000 crossings are made by pedestrians every day at this junction. Students were previously reliant on a school crossing patrol, with teachers forced to ‘work around the problem’ by staggering the start and end of the school day.
Now, traffic lights are now sequenced so that at one stage, all traffic is stopped and pedestrians can safely cross the junction in all directions. This upgraded crossing is one example of how Greater Manchester’s priorities for active travel are being delivered on the ground, with pedestrian safety around schools a clear priority.
This junction was one of 187 identified by TfGM as having no ‘green man’ controlled pedestrian crossings, only traffic lights to control the vehicles. That number now stands at 161.
Chris Hibbert, headteacher at Philips High School, said: “The new crossings have made a real difference to our school. Before they were installed, the junction was dangerous to cross and put our children at risk. We have more than 880 children here and had to work around the problem, with staggered starts and finishes to the school day.
“We campaigned for years for a crossing that was fit for purpose and I’m very happy with the improvements that have been made.
“I feel passionately that children have a right to feel safe when they come and go from school. Attendance is important, and we have to remove those barriers to make sure they are comfortable and can grow, learn and become independent people in our community.”
Evan, a Year 8 student at Philips High School, said: “It has made it a lot easier to cross without any worries and I feel a lot safer crossing the road. My friends have also said they feel very safe when crossing the road now.
“It’s a lot better because the green man really helps with crossing, and a lot more people are able to cross more easily. Before you had to wait a lot longer for the teachers to stop the traffic.”
The improvements delivered by TfGM, with funding from Active Travel England, also removed a dangerous traffic island that was too small for the numbers of students using the crossing.
Pavements have been widened so there is more space for pupils waiting to cross. The pedestrian crossing control boxes also have a rotating cone that spins when the green man signal appears, allowing those with visual impairments to feel when it is safe to cross
And the system that controls the junction works to minimise congestion so it operates as efficiently as possible for the differing demands of road users throughout the day.
Dame Sarah Storey, Active Travel Commissioner for Greater Manchester, said: “It was great to visit Philips High School and see the huge difference the crossing is making for students, teachers and the whole community.
“It’s a fantastic new facility – and TfGM has been busy upgrading more than 150 crossings over the last few years. The aim of the programme is simple: to make walking safer, easier and more appealing by improving crossings in the places people use every day.
“Work is continuing to build or upgrade crossings near key destinations like schools, parks and hospitals, ensuring people feel safer when they walk their everyday journeys. By enabling more walking journeys through simple, cost-effective solutions, we can create safer streets and healthier neighbourhoods for everyone.”
TfGM is continuing its programme of work to improve pedestrian safety at junctions this year. Next in the pipeline are the Manchester Road/Hough Lane and Tyldesley Road/Hamilton Street junctions in Wigan.
Work to make crossings safer and more accessible supports the ‘Vision Zero’ ambition to eliminate fatalities or life changing injuries on Greater Manchester roads by 2040.
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