‘It shouldn’t be a lottery’ - a dazzle of zebras campaign for safe road crossing near Sheffield school

Crossing the junction of Sheldon Road and Sandford Grove Road is one way to get to the nearby Nether Edge Primary School for dozens of children and families on a daily basis, usually during the morning rush hour.

However, the junction has no zebra crossing so parents will have to rely on the goodwill of the motorists and good luck so the little ones can get to the school safe and sound.

Now, campaigners have decided to do something about it.

Jenny Clarke, a volunteer from the Local Living Streets organisation, said a dazzle of zebras were out this morning to raise awareness about the dangers children face at the junction (and across Sheffield, to be fair).

She said: “On the way to Nether Edge Primary School, children have to cross this road and they can’t possibly do it by themselves safely and even with their parents there is danger.

“You can see as you come down (from Sandford Grove Road), you can imagine having a six-year-old on a scooter and they come down on that steep hill and then there is a busy 30mh road… it’s just absolutely petrifying for the parents.”

Ms Clarke added something must be done to make this crossing safer so children can get to the school.

She said the campaign is supported by the whole community from families, parents and local councillors to staff members of the primary school.

The lollipop person who used to work (and help) at the junction is greatly missed, people tell the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), while the zebras are dancing across the road with more and more children joining them smiling and laughing.

Ms Clarke said her primary-age child is able to go to the primary school by themselves, they can go to the school safely.

She said: “I think it shouldn’t be a lottery. Everyone should be able to get to school as safely as my son can get to school.”

She added that while this crossing is not at the top of the council’s priority list, a survey they conducted found that two-thirds of parents have seen a near miss on the way to school.

“Every near miss is a potential casualty”, Ms Clarke said.

A parent, whose children joined the zebras dancing and having fun on the road, told LDRS that they welcomed the campaign and loved that it raised awareness of safety.

She agreed that the crossing was dangerous and something must be done so families and children could walk to the school with ease.

Sara Ahmed, the assistant headteacher from the nearby Nether Edge Primary School, said the zebras were amazing as the campaign is raising awareness and sending a positive message to children.

She added that it was “really really important” that children could walk to school safely and a crossing at the junction would help tremendously.

Ms Ahmed added: “It’s (the junction) dangerous in the fact that it’s a crossroads, cars coming from all different angles.

“We teach our children about road safety, so a big part of our school curriculum but there are cars driving fast around here, it’s a busy area with lots of traffic particularly around school time.”

She said she would welcome a crossing to help children as it’s really hard to recruit a crossing warden.

Cllr Maroof Raouf, a Nether Edge and Sharrow ward councillor, told the LDRS that the junction was a very dangerous crossing in this part of Sheffield as the road is “notoriously very difficult to cross in the morning”.

He said this is not just an issue for Nether Edge – it’s an issue across Sheffield.

Cllr Raouf said: “I really need council officers and the wider public to get engaged in this really important issue, and find ways to encourage more parents to walk their children to school along these roads.”