Petition for school crossing after boy hit by car

BBC Nine cars on the road outside Netherfield Primary school. A white car is parked on the yellow zigzags which is creating a traffic jam.BBC
The petition calls for a raised pedestrian crossing to be installed outside the school

A petition is calling for a pedestrian crossing to be installed outside a school in Nottinghamshire after a child was hit by a car.

The boy was struck on his way home from Netherfield Primary School in September.

County councillor Mike Adams, who represents Carlton East, launched the petition on Monday after parents "reached out" following the incident.

Nottinghamshire County Council said road safety was "important" and the petition would be discussed at a future transport and environment cabinet member meeting.

'Cars everywhere'

Gina Wharton said she was on the school run when the child was struck.

"Thankfully nothing happened to the child and all was well but it was horrific and something needs to be done," she said.

The 30-year-old described crossing the road outside the school at peak times as "scary" and said there were "cars everywhere".

"I'm always worried about the children and I'm constantly grabbing their hands," she added.

A man standing in front of a black fence. He is wearing a red hoodie with a red and white knitted scarf tucked into it.
Russell Hellewell described parking at pick-up and drop-off times as "nuts"

Russell Hellewell drops his daughter off at school every day and described the parking situation as "nuts".

"They park anywhere and they don't care about the pedestrians," the 52-year-old said.

"It's out of order and something needs to be done."

Adams said the installation of a crossing, if his petition is successful, would cost up to £90,000.

A man standing outside the front of Netherfield Primary school. He is wearing a black blazer over a black top.
Adams met with families outside the school on Tuesday

"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 added.

"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."

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