Portslade parents plead for safe crossing

Parents of children at a Portslade primary have asked Brighton and Hove City Council for a crossing on the busy lorry route yards from the school.

More than 800 people signed a petition which was presented yesterday (Monday 7 October) after a powerful speech by one of the parents, Rae Powers, of Norway Street, Portslade.

Her son Alex, 4, is one of the children at St Peter’s, formerly an infant school which became an all-through primary school last month.

She said: “St Peter’s has grown enormously. It’s extremely dangerous on our roads. The busiest port in the south is right on our doorstep.

“It’s children versus articulated lorries and it’s not a very fair competition.

“We need safe crossings for our children.”

Other schools in Portslade and across Brighton and Hove had crossings, lollipop ladies and other safety measures, she said, adding: “They don’t even have lorries going past their school.

“We’re terrified twice a day. There are close calls every day. It’s only a matter of time before somebody dies.

“Please act before it’s too late or a child will be killed.”

The school, in St Peter’s Road, Portslade, is yards from the A293 Church Road, the main route between Shoeham Harbour and the A27 Brighton bypass.

Supported by other parents and children and the school’s head Michele, she presented the petition at Hove Town Hall.

She told the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee that 405 signatures had been collected in 30 hours and a further 409 more people signed over the past few days.

She added: “A hundred per cent of the people we asked signed.”

Councillor Pete West, the committee chairman, said: “None of us are happy with the safety problems we face in various parts of the city and it’s something we’re endeavouring where we can with the resources that we have to do something about.

“The way we have to do things is to consider requests in the round with other requests.

“We have a rolling annual programme of pedestrian crossing assessments – more than 100 a year.

“Your request will be put into the programme for assessments and will be considered in the round.

“We will have a look at it. It will be in this calendar year.”

Councillor Christopher Hawtree, a fellow Green, said: “The citywide 20mph a year speed limit will mean that people don’t have to slow down because they’ll be going more slowly anyway.”

Councillor Alan Robins, a Labour ward councillor for South Portslade, said: “I’m really touched by what Rae said and the passion she’s shown.”

The committee noted the petition.