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The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Finchie (18th Sep 2006 - 09:41:42) I am not a regular "dropper-off" of the kids but haven't been as entertained for a long time. Last Friday's log jam caused by one person... Faced with a queue of 16 cars trying to get out of the Avenue onto the Headly road, and with a nice big gap behind her - she refused point blank to reverse into said gap to let people out. Clearly the "red mist" had fallen. I'm sure it'll take a few weeks before the new infant "dropper-offs" figure out that you can't just keep driving cars into the school with letting people out, so the priority must be with people coming out. Until that is worked out - you must go down and enjoy that daily spectacle ! As an aside, big welcome to Peter the new lollipop man. Top bloke and I like his "confident" style when taking on the speeding traffic. Definately in charge ! Cheers, Finchie

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Jane G (18th Sep 2006 - 10:22:02) Being a resident of The Avenue, a parent of children at the junior school, and someone who needs to drive out of said road onto the Headley Rd to get to work this situation really does drive me insane!! If only people would stop parking on The Avenue between Headley Rd and Avenue Close we wouldn't have such a problem. This thoughtless parking means that traffic coming into The Avenue can't do so easily causing a tailback on Headley Road, and people coming down The Avenue or out of Avenue Close get met by oncoming traffic causing them to mount the kerb - all highly dangerous particularly as there are so many children about. I was caught up in the snarl up mentioned by Finchie last Friday and yes there are some amazingly bad drivers around who just will not give way! I experience it most mornings.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - ellen (18th Sep 2006 - 10:54:42) Whilst on the subject of inconsiderate drivers. I live at the bottom and away from the village end of Longmoor Road and walk my kids to Liphook school most mornings but sometimes I have to use the car and coming out of my drive, I live on a bend, is a constant worry as cars come round that bend at 60 or 70 mph when tis suppose to be 40 mph road, plse plse if anyone uses that road plse adhere to the limit and especially round that bend because one day u may kill my kids, I am begging you. I am looking into having a mirror opposite to see and am tryng to get permission...also I have cut back the folliage along that road on the 40 mph signs but I should not have to do it all myself. I would also like to thank the lady who comes round that bend inn her silver flat top sports car at 100 mile an hour whilst on the phone, every week day morning, for showing me her speed prwessI hope she is enjoying her new sports car and I hope she knows who she is, as, one day she is going to kill someone.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - S (18th Sep 2006 - 12:07:30) If people walked their little darlings to school rather than took their car's the 1/2 mile trip things would be a whole lot less snarled.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Heather (18th Sep 2006 - 12:48:45) The frustrating thing is that traffic problems around the Infant and junior schools have been happening for many, many years and very little has changed. The oldest of my children (who all attended the local schools) started at the Liphook Infant school back in 1989, and there was a big parking/traffic problem then. I recall a situation in the Avenue several years ago at about 3.30pm. There was a grid-lock but a parent refused to drive onto the pavement to alleviate the bottleneck as it was against the law to do so. She was verbally abused, screamed and sworn at by another parent trying to go the opposite way and all the local roads were at a stand-still. In the end the police were called. As a pedestrian, I would have been quite amused in a smug sort of way if it wasn't that similar events happened depressingly routinely. My children and I were fortunately able to walk to school whatever the weather, although the problems still affected us; crossing busy roads between badly parked cars was a nightmare, and breathing in exhaust fumes from traffic queues was unpleasant and unhealthy. (In addition, being sprayed with dirty water by impatient drivers going through puddles on rainly days was a regular occurrence). The local residents must feel very annoyed to say the least and I dare say the problems may even affect house prices.... very nice area but I wouldn't want to live there! I am not sure when the traffic problems started, but it may well have been even further back than I remember. During the ensueing years, there have been numerous studies, working parties, reports, forums and who knows how many discussions on the topic, with Police and local Council involvement, but as can be seen from the posts above, all the talk has not led to a workable solution, or if it has, the solution has not been implemented. There have been measures such as yellow lines to stop cars parking along Avenue Close and noties sent home with the children requesting parents not to block local residents' driveways. Parents were banned from parking in the staff car parks and praiseworthy attempts (sadly doomed to eventual failure) to organise "walking buses" are some of the 'improvements' I recall. How frustrating and feeble that after all these years, nothing really effective has been done to tackle the problems which affect so many local adults and children on a daily basis. I guess it all comes down to money in the end, but it would be interesting to hear from someone who knows more about the background to this situation, what solutions have been proposed and why they have not been adopted.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Stephen (18th Sep 2006 - 13:46:26) How thoughtless. Parked cars (presumably local residents?) obstructing the grand arrival of Daddy/Mummy's little precious angel. It couldn't possibly be allowed to walk to school, could it?

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Jane G (18th Sep 2006 - 15:24:29) Hi Stephen...the parked cars do not belong to local residents, they are parents who are dropping their children off at school and obviously need to park as near as possible so they don't have to walk more than 200m!

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Chris (19th Sep 2006 - 12:40:52) Could this all possibly have something to do with the fact that the village (town) has expanded hugely but the facilities to cater for the extra traffic have remained the same? Or are more parents worried these days about allowing their children to walk to school unchaperoned? It seems that one solution is to re-site the junior school to a place where school traffic can be catered for without affecting existing residents and residential main road access points. The words "dream" and "pipe" spring to mind.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - RG (19th Sep 2006 - 15:04:21) Has it occured to any of you that some of us Mums have to go off to work after dropping off our "precious children" and therefore it is not a possibility to walk. And as for those of you who live on the Avenue complaining about the cars How many of you bought your houses before the school was there - Not many I suspect ! I agree the situation is diabolical and most of the mums can't manouvere a vehicle but do not tar us all with the same brush.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Jane G (19th Sep 2006 - 16:09:58) Quite happy to admit I bought my house long after the schools were built. However, I just think some common sense should be used here. If anyone parks their car along that stretch of The Avenue as you turn in from the Headley Road, and they get out of that car to walk up to school, can't they see that they are creating a gridlock? Surely they must notice the traffic at a standstill or cars having to mount the kerb!!! The other place which now seems to be getting highly dangerous is on the Longmoor Road from the other end of The Avenue up to the lay-by. Cars park on both sides every morning and afternoon and visibility is vastly reduced. I know there were some plans to stop people parking along the grass verge - does anyone know why this hasn't yet been implemented?

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Keith Ireland (21st Sep 2006 - 00:28:14) Chris - I like your idea of a pipedream. Why not site one of the existing schools on what remains of the OSU site ? And get good entrance and exit points planned in. The Millennium hall might get additional usage too. But is this all down to EHDC money ? Do we have a united front to present , to get things done ? Are we all words ?

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Paul Robinson (23rd Sep 2006 - 21:27:37) Readers of this thread might care to refer to a previous contribution I made last year, or was it the year before, when this perenniel problem was aired. I observed then that the school playing field that borders the Avenue sports an unruly stand of silver birch trees which are almost at their dangerous stage and will soon need to be lopped before they start falling over. At the base of the trees is an impenetrable jungle of briars and sundry weeds liberally sprinkled with empty soft drink cans and bottles, fast food cartons and other unsavoury rubbish thoughtfully tossed over the fence. How much better if this area could accommodate a one way drive way where parents could stop and drop off their children without causing the mayhem in the Avenue each week day morning and afternoon. Paul Robinson

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Mike Grimes (23rd Sep 2006 - 23:02:47) Paul, You obviously don't have children at the Infant's school because if you did you would realise that you don't just drop them off in the morning, you are expected to escort them to their classroom, which takes time, and all 270 of them will be arriving at roughly the same time. Such a system might work in the morning for some of the 360 Juniors (that don't have siblings at the infant school). But, how do you envisage this working in the afternoon? Parents don't drop off their children then - they pick them up. So do you envisage 630 unaccompanied 4-11 year olds all waiting in an orderly fashion for their taxi to arrive? I notice that no-one seems to complain about the school runs to Brookham or Churchers, so maybe the answer is to stick the schools in the middle of the country, but then my children would no longer be able to walk there (and back).

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Paul Robinson (24th Sep 2006 - 19:16:33) Mike, I was merely proposing a suggestion to relieve the potentially dangerous congenstion in the Avenue. I imagine that if the school was in the least concerned then they would devise some sort of escort system across the school field to the buidings, a distance of perhaps 150 yards. Paul Robinson

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Sooze (24th Sep 2006 - 19:46:07) If only parents would ride-share their children to and from school, this would cut down the number of cars in the area and would do wonders to help save the environment. Or even organise 'walking buses' which would help reduce obesity and introduce children to a more social form of exercise. The more cars there are near the school, the more pollution in the atmosphere. If everyone were to think on these lines, we might be able to avert the escalation of global warming which now threatens our planet. Also, it would be much more pleasant for the homes of those people surrounding the schools and would eliminate traffic congestion and the related road safety issues. Please go and see 'An Inconvenient Truth' which is now showing at Guildford Odeon and other local cinemas.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - LippyChick (25th Sep 2006 - 08:34:31) This has been a problem for as long as I've been in Liphook. In around 2000 or 2001 a walking bus was organised that started at The Maltings and carried on down the Haslemere Road collecting children on the way. I like many other mothers was an enthusiastic participant. We had flourescent jackets sponsored by the Renault Garage and had the safest route worked out for us by the council. The problem was the adult to child ratio required. I believe that it was one adult to every 4 children. Naturally if you needed to bring along younger siblings these were factored in to the equation. That meant that with my three young children (only one of whom was at school) I was only good for escorting one other child along the route. Many other parents were in the same situation. Without regular assistants the idea eventually (and sadly) fizzled out. What Mike says about dropping off and collecting is correct (although I believe that the infant school try to discourage parents actually escorting their children as far as the classroom). Simple drop off or collection points aren't as simple as they might at first seem. It is a chicken and an egg situation. Many parents are wary of walking their children to school because of the volume of traffic around The Square and the school. Of course, the volume of traffic is in no small part attributable to parents dropping their children off. Resiting the schools is a nice idea, but unlikely to happen (especially as the infant school has recently invested a huge amount in their long desired 9th classroom). The best idea I can think of is a school bus system. Of course this will cost, but if EHDC are serious about alleviating this kind of problem surely a small fleet of busses would help? One to collect all the children travelling from the Haslemere Road end, one maybe on the Barratts estate and Station Road end of the village. Children could be collected by the Bus Driver from reception of each school. Once the Reception aged children are confident about going into their classes on their own they can be happily left in the care of the bus driver (CRB checked of course) and dropped off at school reception. This would seem to me to be a safe, environmentally and traffic friendly problem solver. Lips x

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - H (27th Sep 2006 - 12:36:54) As the school run to Churcher's has been mentioned, I though I'd let you know that, although not as bad as the Avenue, we in Newtown Road have to put up with mums in their 4x4's too impatient to wait to turn right at the Station Road junction after coming up from Petersfield. This is an Access only road. With resident's cars parked on one side making it's more or less a single road, yet they speed down past these parked cars with no intention of giving way to anyone. I'ts a great joy when they meet the bin lorry!

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Jane G (10th Oct 2006 - 11:22:30) Sorry to harp on about this...but due to one driver this morning causing chaos on The Avenue the queue on the Headley Road was right back to the A3 bridge and looked like it was going right back into the village in the other direction! The temptation to name and shame is getting very strong :-)

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - R (10th Oct 2006 - 13:16:44) I live in Newtown road, I don't have any problems with Mums driving 4x4's down the road to avoid the traffic, its not as bad as you make out!! It does not state anywhere that the road is access only so I think that the road is there to be used by everyone. Anyway, don't you think it is more important to encourage mothers and other road users (lets not single out one group of people here), to use other forms of transport. Maybe if that were the case we could all save the planet a little instead of worrying about the state of a couple of roads.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Steve Read (10th Oct 2006 - 19:01:12) Jane G, Does this same woman drive a black range rover?

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - h (11th Oct 2006 - 10:13:25) The red circular signs at each end of Newtown Road with a picture of a motorcycle and a car are, according to the highway code, No Motor Vehicles. Underneath each sign it clearly says Except for Access

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - R (11th Oct 2006 - 16:22:37) Who takes notice of the highway code nowadays anyway?? Not the drivers of Liphook!!!!

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Keith Ireland (11th Oct 2006 - 16:41:59) Still no solution ? just remind me please but who OWNS this problem ? The school ? the Parish council ? EHDC ?..........or perhaps us people what live here ? I can't see a solution ever being implemented, do you ? Unless somebody accepts some sort of responsibility. I like the idea of turning some of the playing fields (with silver birch trees) in to a multistorey car park with two drop-off times and two collection times. How about a petition ? Will "some one" listen and then DO something ? Good luck you Mums.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - KB (11th Oct 2006 - 23:29:30) Roll on the American yellow schoolbus system, it would alleviate traffic problems, help the environment and get our children to school safely. All we have to do is wait for the powers that be to give it the ok. I will not be holding my breath!

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Jane G (12th Oct 2006 - 13:27:24) There was a black jeep involved but not a Range Rover! But from what I could see it was a red Cavalier that was causing most of the problem...although if it hadn't been for all the cars parked where they really shouldn't be then there wouldn't have been a problem in the first place :-)

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Mike Grimes (13th Oct 2006 - 00:40:09) At least two contributors have supported the idea that the school playing fields be used as some kind of [totally impractical] dropping off / picking up area for those that drive their kids to school. Why not build a fast food "restaurant" there too so the kids have someting to do whilst waiting for their Mum's pick-up slot. I've got an original idea as to what to do with the playing field, how about if the the school used it for playing sports. Not just twice a year for the "everyone's a winner" day and the school fete but for regular individual and team sports and athletics a number of days every week. Why does Liphook Junior School never play a competetive match of anything against anyone? I regularly read of the "outrage" when a school playing field is sold off for, usually, a housing development but some of that outrage might be directed at the schools with playing fields that don't use them.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Jane G (13th Oct 2006 - 13:26:47) Sorry Mike going to have to disagree with you there! Liphook Junior School do play competitive matches against other schools ie football and netball. As my house backs on to the school field I also know that the field is used regularly by both the infant and junior schools for after school football and cricket depending on the season. There is also an after school netball club where the playground is used. The school does encourage sports and I know also have rounders tournaments during the summer months at lunch break time between classes/year groups.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - izzy (13th Oct 2006 - 18:19:39) When I went to school in Liphook we used to believe it or not WALK to school rain shine or snow Looking at some of the kids today they could do with the exercise !!! Aslo How many kids per car usually 1 !!!! Come on be sensible school drop off is not for showing off your new 4x4 !!!!!!!! or bmw z3 Start toughning up your kids !!!!

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Mike Grimes (14th Oct 2006 - 02:23:17) Whoops, sorry did I get it wrong? It's just that in my day competitive cricket matches requred a cricket square and football required goalposts and it was normal to have peers / parents cheering the participants on. Is that happening? If it is, it's in secret.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - jane (14th Oct 2006 - 11:49:17) I went to school at the infants when it was first built- there were two classrooms and the office is now the cupboard in the corridor. We were able to look out over Swinsteds farm which is now the Lowsley Park estate. If my memory serves me correctly our mothers were made to wait for us at the Headley Road and we were walked down by our teachers- now theres an idea! I know it was another age - I do feel for you newbies who think you have moved to a 'village'. Liphook, you must remember was a victorian service station with the Anchor and the Blacksmiths being todays equivelant to a Littlechef and a BP filling station. Traffic has been vital to Liphooks survival without it even today Sainsburys would not do the trade it needs . I agree the schools do cause a problem - so its time the Infants and juniors were re built alongside the Bohunt and a ring road built to bring you back out on to the Portsmouth road. The land that the two schools are now on could be used for affordable housing, so that real yocal locals can stay just that and not have to move out coz we can't afford oversized houses. The main A3 used to come right through the centre of Liphook and as for 4x4's who remembers the real tanks from when the Army were really at Longmoor. Believe me newcomers this ain't traffic.!!!!!! just an inconvienience. Liphook is a great community and I am proud to be part of it why don't some of you get out of your cars and get involved - don't let it become a 'dormitary town' because thats where its headed. The carnival is coming up so why not build a float and join in. I am involved with the Guide float and each year we have girls with us who have only just moved to the 'village' and have no idea what they've let themselves in for - they love it and they are being introduced to a tradition of Liphook that hopefully they will carry on with when they are adults. Liphook in Bloom are a great team why not help them out - again how many of them are newcomers? not many, so where are you all hiding or is it that you all have such busy lives driving your cars back and forth? Jane family in liphook since 1740's

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Allan (15th Oct 2006 - 00:54:37) Hi Jane, Well heck! That is good news that an awful lot of people do not know about and ought to. By the way, it may not yet be common knowledge, but Liphook Tornadoes football team beat a Camberley select today 14-0. Good, eh!

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Steve Read (16th Oct 2006 - 18:25:56) Jane, You must have been at school with me, because I was amongst the first batch of kids into what is now the infant school. Were you at Liphook School ie the library and used to walk down to the village hall for dinner? can still smell that cabbage now walking in there. Be careful on here mentioning about years gone by as I was once told "not interested in the past, only today" Agree with what you say by the way. The junior school football team is coached by my son after school on a Thursday, but they play any games they have away at other schools, seems strange to me!

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Mike Grimes (17th Oct 2006 - 00:53:25) I think it is excellent that we have a football club that promotes sport amongst local youngsters so much. I'm sure there are other local sports clubs that embrace the young sportsman - tennis, golf, cricket etc. but I am not convinced the schools are doing enough. The odd game of netball or rounders at lunchtime is not going to regularly involve all 360 junior school children and I don't suppose the 270 infants have any idea that anything is going on. Although if you add those numbers together you start to understand why there may be a traffic problem.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - Paul Robinson (22nd Oct 2006 - 08:23:18) Since no one seems to have picked up on my suggestion of a school drop off lane in the Avenue might I suggest another idea which mat ease the congestion. Is it possible that some of the Mums might take a refresher course in the use of the reverse gear? after all this is not a new invention, the Italian army made exstensive use of it during the last war. Last week things were at stalemate one morning while two Mums, faced each other bumper to bumper like rutting stags, neither either willing or able to give way. Heigh ho, half term approaches, hooray! Paul Robinson

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - jane (31st Aug 2007 - 13:50:51) Hi Sorry to re open this one but may I refer you all to my entry of the 14/10/06. Perhaps this is a real chance to make Liphook work because at the moment its become very fragmented. Since I can remember the Maltings,Tunbridge Crescent,The Berg, The Lowsley Estate (the Avenue),Meadow Close,The Meade, Shipley Court, Court Close, Field Place, Larch Close, The Firs and lets not forget the Sainsburys estate have all been built. How many of you live at these addresses? Original Liphook families have seen a great deal of change and just deal with what comes but perhaps sometimes others should listen because the likes of Mr Ellis and myself only have the good of the 'village' at heart. Change is good - so long as the infastructre is in place. If I am correct some of Bohunt estate would fall foul of the building line for Liphook, however if Mr Northcott on the other Manor of Foley wanted to join in he would probably be within the building line down the Longmoor Road. Goodness me, I do hope they never allow Bramshott to be built on. Liz If your'e the Liz I think you are, then these comments about you are ridiculous and wasn't it you who started the badger comment a while back.

Re: The Liphook School Drop Off ... - liz (31st Aug 2007 - 14:30:39) I certainly did start the badger post a while back - presumably I am the Liz you think I am but can't be sure!!

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