2 Lollipop men on Lordship Lane

[jack bauer]

It has angered me for ages I was coming down Lordship Lane this afternoon and there are always 2 lollipop men propped up on the fence on the corner of Townley Rd casually talking to each other.

Why the hell do we need 2 there,as there is a set of lights ! I stopped at the red lights and as the little green man flashed as they do to let the pedestrians know it safe to cross, low and behold one of the lollipop men walks over and flashes his lollipop to the pedestrians to show them its safe to cross !!!!!!!!!! As if they didn't know that already grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[James Barber]

But this is a key point going north-south, and east-west for kids walknig to school.

[sophiesofa]

It's always angered you but it's always made me smile. They're only there for school travelling hours making sure they cross safely.

[boosboss]

Belt n Braces!

Rather see a thread complaning about it, than one expressing sympathy though.

[jack bauer]

Mr B

You are right of course but the point being there are traffic lights which covers Lordship Lane leaving Townley Rd to be covered which would only take one lollipop person.

[CMG]

what a sorry, sad and pathetic thing to get angry about. Get a sodding life 'jack bauer' (your not). Angry about lollipop men....whatever next! Idiots like you make me angry....!

[bil]

lol, I have often wondered why there are lollipop men/ladies at traffic light pedestrian crossings. Most of the time they seem to take people across the road when the green man is lit. I see quite a few on my way to work but I they are duplicating the work of the electronic traffic light pedestrian crossing. Do that many people go through red lights and if they do does having a lollipop man actually stop this? No doubt with public sector cuts the numbers will be trimmed to what is necessary. I reckon only needs to be one at the junction of LL and townley road.

[CMG]

yes, your sooooooooo right, they must earn a fortune!!! A cut there, would make such an impact!! Honestly..get a life people!

[KalamityKel]

I thought, in the past when the crossing there were the good old fashioned zebra crossings, that there had been a few problems with the safety of the Lollipop persons attending this point which got considerably worse with the installation of the traffic lights... no?

[ratty]

Do they not work voluntarily? They used to when I was a nipper!

[James Barber]

Around this area is a little unusual in that two different distinct times at each end of the school day - private schools where kids have to be present between 8.15 and 8.30 and local schoold such as Heber which start at between 8.50 and 9.05am.

So clear gap between these groups of kids when the lollipop people relax.

It did get me thinking though. The Government gives money for all schools to Southwark Council. It then takes a small percentage (from memory about 8%) for centrally provided services for schools and kids and then passes the rest ot schools. My understanding is that that tiny percentage pays for lollipop people. With increasing numbers of schools chosing to become academies the pot that that tiny percentage comes from will be getting smaller.

Who will be paying for lolklipop people going forward. I'll find out.

[Gubodge]

I've not got quite so worked up about this as Jack Bauer, but then I had assumed they were paid for by Alleyns. If they are funded by the local authority then it does seem a bit of a misuse of resources, particularly when parents and small children heading to and from Goodrich have no help at all at the Underhill/Dunstans junction. Any chance they could be spread out a bit better?

[seanmlow]

Typical local authority 'gravy train' again.

[Huggers]

we've had a few recent cases of children being knocked over, killed even, crossing at green man crossings locally- where lorries have shot the lights or snuck in an illegal turn- so personally I am very glad to have lollypersons even if they seem superfluous to you.

[seanmlow]

They are not doing much good when standing there chatting - hardly on the ball!

[melbourne groover]

They are only on duty at school drop off hours, and when they are on duty they are standing by their respective roads.

[seanmlow]

I just fail to see the point. Where I work they have a man who stands in the middle of the road when the lights are red and the green man on - what sick person would drive when it is red and kids are crossing?!

[KestonKid]

I wonder how many of the complainers have children/grandchildren who need to cross busy junctions on the way to and from school. I have a six-year-old grandson who is taken across Lordship Lane at Townley Road twice a day - as are many of his schoolmates. It is a very busy junction with both Heber and Alleyns nearby, and I do not see the need to get wound up about a couple of lollipop men providing this extra layer of security while young, sometimes very young, children are crossing.

[peterstorm1985]

Lollipop people are useful at stopping children from crossing the road when the green man isn't showing. The Townley road crossing is inherently dangerous as the traffic lights can be seen from some considerable distance, and some drivers coming down the hill speed up when pedestrians approach the crossing, presumably in the hope of getting through before someone presses the button and the traffic lights turn red. Without the lollipop people, children are tempted to cross without waiting for the green man, with potentially disastrous consequences. Two lollipop people may be excessive but there is definitely a need for at least one at this crossing.

[melbourne groover]

seanmlow Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I just fail to see the point. Where I work they

> have a man who stands in the middle of the road

> when the lights are red and the green man on -

> what sick person would drive when it is red and

> kids are crossing?!

Not so much what sick person purposely running down school children, but more likely someone on the phone/not looking, just not stopping. Sadly quite common in my experience.

[Curmudgeon]

What annoys me about them is that they are only there when the private schools are open!

what is that about

[Tanza]

Curmudgeon Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> What annoys me about them is that they are only

> there when the private schools are open!

> what is that about

Sorry that simply isn't the case. They are there every single day of the Heber term - in fact they always check with us about inset days and end of term dates. My six year old and I are so grateful for their help that my 6-year old insisted on us giving them a small xmas present and card at Xmas.

[Michael Palaeologus]

So, allow the public sector educated rickety kids the protection of a lolly-pop man or woman or whatever, and the private sector educated kids have to run the rapids with no protection but their breeding, good diction, ample vitamins and natural superiority? Is that it Curmudgeon?

Anyway, you wait all day for one Lolly-pop person and then two turn up at the same time. What's that all about?

[Devonlass15]

The reason that there are lollipop men standing at pedestrian crossings (I'm speaking as a parent of two small children) is because so many drivers during rush hour and other times ignore the crossings and speed through them.

It out rages me that people worry more about getting to work on time than the risk of possibly knocking a child over and I'm relieved the Lollipop men are there to stop idiots who don't bother looking properly.

I should point out there are also lots of good drivers who stop when we're crossing, it's the minority who are bad but it only takes one bit of carelessness, I've seen a few very near misses recently involving little kids and it wasn't their fault.

[seanmlow]

----The reason that there are lollipop men standing at pedestrian crossings (I'm speaking as a parent of two small children) is because so many drivers during rush hour and other times ignore the crossings and speed through them.---

I'm sorry, I don't think anyone in their right mind would drive through a crossing when a child is in close proximity. If they did this, having someone standing there with a stick to stop them is hardly going to act as a deterrent to a madman like that is it?

I think it is more the case that the lollipop men often look as if they are not doing anything that is getting up the noses of many.