Calls for school crossing patrols to wear body cameras to record drivers who don’t stop

Conservative councillors Adam Tinsley and David Fisher have submitted a motion to this week’s (November 29) full council meeting, which asks RMBC to introduce a raft of measures to combat traffic issues around the borough’s schools.

They say that the last major change in road safety around schools was introduced in 2009, when traffic regulation orders were brought in to enforce school crossings.

Nationwide, 1,200 youngsters are injured each month in traffic related collisions within a 500m radius of schools, and councillors Tinsley and Fisher hope that Rotherham Council will adopt a series of measures they have proposed.

One such measure is the introduction of body worn cameras for school crossing patrols, in a bid to aid documenting and prosecuting non-compliance of stop signs’.

The motion states: “School crossing patrol operatives face instances where cars fail to stop. We believe that the council is seemingly not recording these instances along with prosecuting vehicle owners.”

Councillors Tinsley and Fisher also hope that RMBC will introduce ‘school streets’ – where vehicles are restricted from accessing roads outside schools at drop off and pick up times.

Their motion calls on the council to: “Commit to work with schools….that would benefit from a school street and compile a list of schools where school street trials could be launched as soon as practically possible.”

The motion will be heard at the next full council meeting on Wednesday, November 29.