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Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Barry Hope (20th May 2004 - 15:39:50) The Saga continues.... So mothers want to blockade the roads for two hours a day during rush hours and for four days starting from June 8th (According to the Liphook Herald). The purprose is to get crossings where they are needed for the safety of children (somethiong sadly lacking since the demise of the Lollipop Lady). Silly me, I thought they were doing that on a daily basis anyway with their cars?? Seriously though, I fully support their concerns and reasons for their anger and it once again only goes to show how much of a serious problem this is becoming in Liphook around the schools areas. HCC have still not cottoned on to the depth of feeling of parents and residents of Liphook and will continue to be the subject of complaint and derise as long as they continue to ignore the wishes of local people. They all too often ignore local opinion and make decisions based on the massaged facts presented to them, often prepared and compiled by people who have never heard of Liphook, let alone visited the place. I hope the parents who take part in the blockade acheive their aims and make the local roads safer for the children and others using them. It might also prove a point and demonstrate what effect an accident or other incident would have on the emergency services accessing the scene with all the congestion. I have made this point several times and would welcome an opportunity to prove that a delay would occur without having to wait for a childs life to be lost in the process. If I can get out of my drive and onto Headley Road during the school peak hour I might even join them. Regards to all. Barry

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - kathryn (21st May 2004 - 09:02:34) Sorry Barry I canot support the mother's on this one. You are right in saying they contribute towards the problem. Hate to use the cliche of mother's in 4 x 4 blocking the roads but it is a fact. I have the misfortune of having to use the Headley Road daily and am constantly amazed by their lack of driving skills (I can say this as I am a woman!!). They stop willy nilly in the middle of the road waving other 4 x 4 's across, block the junction waiting for cars to exit from the side roads and generally are a menace. I wouldn't mind if they lived on the outskirts of the village but have spotted several of my neighbours driving their kids and I only live near Sainsbury's. I think the mother's should be encouraging their children to walk to school bearing in mind the huge publicity regarding obescity in children. This would cut out the majority of teaffic around the school thus making it safer to cross. On this subject they could also cross the road at more suitable points not immediately at teh school. Still, don't suppose they would agree! If the crossing patrol vacancy were filled I guess everyone would be happ. Any 'concerned' mothers willing to apply????

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Tina (21st May 2004 - 22:15:44) Why don't you apply for the job Kathryn? I don't know why we should put our childrens lives in a lolliepop lady's hands. It's not as if she'll have a legal right against speeding motorists. And what is to say she won't be the next person to be hit by a car. I'd rather that be you then. I also get annoyed by the traffic, but it is not JUST women in 4 x 4's it the the motorist in general that is making the roads a danger to cross.

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Steve (22nd May 2004 - 12:47:29) Would another pelcan crossing be too much to ask for, maybe two? One on the longmoor road by the schools and one on the Headley rd. This won't however stop mothers driving 300 yards to school rather than walking but it may make the road safer for those who will make the effort to walk their kiddies to school. A blockade is NOT the answer and is a silly thing to do. Mothers won't gain any friends in doing that. I for one won't be in favour of it and WILL do all I can to go through it. This is not FRANCE you know.

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Eneida Nelson (22nd May 2004 - 17:05:05) I completely agree with Steve - Why can't we have a pelican crossing on the Headley Road?? According to the Liphook Herald it doesn't meet the criteria which is calculated on the number of people likely to cross the road. What complete rubbish!! I'm quite sure as many people cross the Headley Road as do the London Road where one was installed last year. I also think, as the Post Office is now in the Co-op, the 'Village Centre' should start at that point, with a 20mph limit and have the crossing somewhere nearby.

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - KATHRYN (24th May 2004 - 10:46:49) Tina, Oh dear - I seem to have touched a raw nerve! Unfortunately I am unable to apply for the job as the crossssing patrol warden as I am already working- I am sure you would have liked me escorting the kids across the road - perhaps you could have aimed your 4x4 at me!

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Mike Grimes (24th May 2004 - 17:25:36) I notice a lot of assumptions flying around this and similar threads. Anyone who thinks that mothers who bring their children to school could also be available to man a crossing patrol should ask themselves a) what time would such a shift start and end? b) What would said Mother be doing between those hours? I have also previosly indicated that, wherever possible, my children walk to school but we are lucky that both of them attend the same school. Many parents have children attending schools some distance appart (eg Liphook and Liss) others have a younger child that attends nursery school. It is not practical for every parent to walk. I know how challenging it is to get two small Children to school safely and welcome the responsible efforts of some to make this safer but I am not sure that a blockade would send the correct message.

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Tina (25th May 2004 - 17:32:18) Kathryn. Sorry dear, I don't drive a 4 x 4. I am one of the parents who walk my child to school, and as we have tried several different ways to get the council to provide us with a crossing, (with no luck) we now go for the extreme. I have had several lon term residents calling me and who have said that they have been trying since the early nineties to have safe crossings put in, but still nothing. This is the only way to get the council to listen. Oh, unless someone volunteers to bombard number 10 (Mr. Blair). Not a bad idea. I'll have to think about that.

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Steve (26th May 2004 - 16:46:05) I find it difficult to believe it's so challenging to get children to school? Surely if you walk them to school every day and teach them how to cross roads properly like they did in the 80's then there shouldn't be a problem. For those of you new to the area, remember that the A3 to Portsmouth/London used to go straight through the village so please don't tell me it was safer back then. I am confused why these issues were never worried about in the past, hats off to Tina for walking her children to school. Noone who has a child living in Liphook should be using a car to take them to school, it's not necessary. I walked 2 miles to school and 2 miles back every single day. No excuses.

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - liz (28th May 2004 - 12:31:16) I support the mothers in their request for a pelican crossing in the Headley Road -even more necessary if children are to be encouraged to walk to school. However, as the mothers seem to have so much spare time on their hands, (very few people can spare time to blockade a road in the rush hour!) perhaps they could organise a 'lollipop lady' rota. A simple, cheaper, more constructive solution. It would also show a little more consideration for their fellow villagers.

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Mike Grimes (28th May 2004 - 17:05:42) Looks like Transco are getting in first anyway, renewing the gas main in Headley Road that week.

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Freddie Dawkins (28th May 2004 - 19:53:26) Dear All - I've held back messaging on this thread 'til now. Can I just repeat what was discussed here quite some time ago, plus add some background info: When the Lollipop Lady retired from Headley Road last year, HCC advertised the post. HCC has at least 40 unfilled Lollipop patrol jobs at any one time. Reasons:? Pay? Commitment required? Security vetting? Gill Sellitto and another lady very kindly agreed to be key holders for the amber flashing lights either side of the crossing point. They turn these on and off whenever they can, to at least warn drivers there is a crossing point. I tried to find people who would be prepared to help Gill and the other lady (sorry, but I don't know her name) but no-one else was prepared to help. This despite the Infant and Junior school Heads kindly publishing requests in the school newsletters. Since last year, one person (a retired gent) did think about taking the job but in the end decided not to. HOWEVER The schools developed Safe Routes to School plans, with the assistance of Gwil Williams from EHDC and the Parish Council. When Barry Hope attended the Winchester hearing into the request for the extra classroom recently, he was appalled that the Committee decided not to ask for implementation of the plans BEFORE the classroom was built.. INCREDIBLE! This was a great chance to get kids walking/cycling - SAFELY - to school each day. Jim Walters and John Tough - along with others - worked for months on refining the Safe Routes plans, and to have all this worked filed in pending really is crazy. There are lots of things in the plans which could be implemented next week - if only HCC had pushed for implementation. Can I advise the protesting Mums to have a look at the plans (they are available at the schools and/or the Parish Office) and think about what they are planning to do. rgds to all Freddie Dawkins Parish Councillor

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Mike Grimes (28th May 2004 - 23:10:00) Freddie, It has probably been here before but could you explain who, exactly, is now responsible for implementing the safe routes to school plans and what is holding them up. Then any protest could, at least, be targetted in the right direction. As you know I think it would have been wrong to make the new classroom dependent on this implementation as the beneficiaries of the decision [to build the classroom] - 90 infant children - are not responsible for implementing this project. They would, of course, also benefit from it's implementation. That said, if that much effort has been put into this, why is it not being implemented? Mike.

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Eneida Nelson (29th May 2004 - 08:53:30) I've spent the last few days painting my front fence on the Headley Road...Ok not very exciting news... but it has given me a chance of seeing the amount of people of all ages using the road throughout the day. There is a constant flow people, not only mothers and school children but also several elderly people some with mobility vehicles or zimmer frames. Lollipop ladies and safe school routes would be of no use to them! I've asked this before but I'll ask it again. WHY CAN'T WE HAVE A PELICAN CROSSING?? Surely it's the only common sense solution to meet all needs. Does the council have a problem with common sense?

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Freddie Dawkins (29th May 2004 - 10:08:39) Mike, Eneida, All here - Eneida - we've watched your painting with interest. Nice job! HCC is responsible for actioning travel plans. I have not yet spoken directly to the schools, so I don't know why they have not implemented the plans. I will speak to them asap and report back here. I have a feeling that the last traffic surveys which would have been done on Headley Road and Longmoor Road are now out of date. As we've seen over the last, say, two years, the amount of traffic in Headley Road in particular has really increased - as Eneida says - throughout the day. Midhurst Road is also suffering major increases - especially at peak times. I'd be interested to know what the Protesting Mothers have found out about the Safe Routes to School plans. Freddie

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Alex Cameron (30th May 2004 - 17:32:19) I genuinely am finding it hard to believe that anything has aroused such passion to bring our daily mail readers to civil disobedience in the great well of apathy that is Liphook! I'd love to see them do it actually. Only for about 2 mins though - before i'd be tempted to call someone at Longmoor and ask them to break it up with one of their Challengers...

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Tina Kortekaas (1st Jun 2004 - 12:28:09) I am very glad to see so many people are concerned about Headley and Longmoor road. I know that a lot of people will disagree with the march, but we did speak to the council independently an we have also had a meeting with the council regards a pelican crossing. The message from the council is that we do not meet the criteria. These two roads has to become busier and more dangerous before the council will react. Regarding the school travel plans: Yes, I have had a look at them, but please note that so far every thing in the travel plans are just propositions and this does not mean the council will implement them. The travel plans is: 1) Turn Avenue close into a single lane to stop parents from parking there and therefor have more parents walking to school, and 2) tURN A PART OF hEADLEY ROAD IN TO A SINGLE LANE and also put in a different colour hump so that drivers will know that its used as a crossing point. I do agree with point one as a lot of people doesn't respect the fact that Avenue close is a residential close and there has been problems with people trying to get out of their drives. I do, however not agree with point 2 because this might cause more chaos on Headley road. Putting a hump in doesn't mean motorist isn't going to race over it. As for turning part of it into a single lane, welll I've seen this used before and it just caused motorist to speed even more so that they don't have to wait for pedestrians to cross or for another car to pass first. I saw the lady who painted her fence last week, I also live on Headley road and I work from home, lucky me. lady you are right there is a lot of people crossing this road through out the day. Do you all know that planning permission has been granted for 30 new houses to be built on lark rise. Does the council not take in count that these people also have to use either Headley or Longmoor road. Once again it comes back to the council not using their common sense. Or maybe they only use their common sense in the areas they live in. Why does Winchester, where EHDC is based, have sufficient pelican crossings? Just wondering!

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Julian (23rd Jun 2004 - 16:02:18) Maybe they could build a tunnel?

Re: Angry Mothers Blockade Liphook Roads - Alex Cameron (23rd Jun 2004 - 23:53:11) or a ramp?

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