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O'leary Street - Speed and Zebra Crossing


daniels86

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Am I the only one who thinks that the zebra crossing on O'leary Street is a waste of time????

This should be a pelican crossing instead. Drivers just don't bother to stop!! Not only that but quite a few speed too! it's a dangerous road and I don't think that many drivers take into consideration the children crossing to and from school, as they are in a rush to get to work or pick up their kids from school.

Something needs to be done about this!!!

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Probably the wrong forum for you mate, its the push bikes and pedesstrians who are always to blame on here :D

 

Serously though, I know what you mean and it is a serious problem, not just in O'leary Street but right through the town. The school run is a nightmare everywhere. Today I got to my daughters school 10 minutes early and saw a succession of bone idle or self important or totally ignorant or completely oblivious impliments park on the zig zags of the crossing outside the school gates ( sometimes one behind another) and walk in all smiles and hellos whilst at the same time putting at risk the safety of the children of the people they were letting on to. Absolutely pig ignorant toerags. I will be having a serious word with the authorites and have somebody there with a big fat book of tickets.

 

:evil::evil::evil:

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Probably the wrong forum for you mate, its the push bikes and pedesstrians who are always to blame on here :D

 

Serously though, I know what you mean and it is a serious problem, not just in O'leary Street but right through the town. The school run is a nightmare everywhere. Today I got to my daughters school 10 minutes early and saw a succession of bone idle or self important or totally ignorant or completely oblivious impliments park on the zig zags of the crossing outside the school gates ( sometimes one behind another) and walk in all smiles and hellos whilst at the same time putting at risk the safety of the children of the people they were letting on to. Absolutely pig ignorant toerags. I will be having a serious word with the authorites and have somebody there with a big fat book of tickets.

 

:evil::evil::evil:

 

It's chaos everywhere there's a school at school run time.

 

I'd implement residents only parking (free, of course) within 1/2 mile of any school for 1/4 hour before and 1/2 an hour after school opening and closing times.

 

If the bone idle mums who currently insist on picking up their little darlings right at the school gates know they're now going to have to walk a mile to and from the car twice a day, they might find that they don't need the Chelsea tractor after all!

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It's chaos everywhere there's a school at school run time.

 

I'd implement residents only parking (free, of course) within 1/2 mile of any school for 1/4 hour before and 1/2 an hour after school opening and closing times.

 

If the bone idle mums who currently insist on picking up their little darlings right at the school gates know they're now going to have to walk a mile to and from the car twice a day, they might find that they don't need the Chelsea tractor after all!

 

How on earth would you impliment that????

 

There's a 20 page topic full of gripes,moans,wails and gnashing of gums because the Council see fit to reduce the speed limit in residential areas to 20 mph from 30 mph. A lot of these roads either have schools on them or have children travelling to and from schools. Go and suggest to our driving fraternity that they aren't allowed to park within a half mile of a school anywhere in the town (which incidentally is virtually everywhere) and you'll get the response your stupid suggestion deserves.

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How on earth would you impliment that????

 

 

Simple. School zones. Same as they have in many other countries.

 

And at least I'm only suggesting light touch restrictions at the specific times and places there is a serious problem, not country wide 24 x 7 restrictions regardless of the need for them.

 

Next to my daughters school is a pub, a chip shop, a post office and Spar, an old peoples home and a Sure Start. There is also, Within 1/2 mile about 50 industrial units, a Toys r us, an ikea, a Huge M&S, a car showroom, a McDonalds, a Boots , a Next etcetera,etcetera,etcetera. How the hell are you going to enforce your pathetic ,if light touch, law. What if I have friends visit, I live within 1/2 mile of the school. The police don't enforce the laws which presently exist i.e. parking on a zeba, how on Gods earth do you expect them to police your new total exclusion zones???? Oh and police numbers are being cut by the way not added to. :roll::roll::roll:

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Danial

 

You could be right but O'leary Street never strikes me a particulary dangerous road and whille I don't go down there that often, when I do, I don't get the feeling that people are speeding.

 

The limit past the school is 20mph and few would dissagree with this especially when the kids are about but these same people are unlikley to drive at 20mph outside school hours or at weekends. This is a proven fact of life and you can argue till the cows come home but your not going to change this.

 

Bill :)

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Am I the only one who thinks that the zebra crossing on O'leary Street is a waste of time????

This should be a pelican crossing instead. Drivers just don't bother to stop!! Not only that but quite a few speed too! It?s a dangerous road and I don't think that many drivers take into consideration the children crossing to and from school, as they are in a rush to get to work or pick up their kids from school.

Something needs to be done about this!!!

 

Daniel Your not alone only a few weeks ago a pedestrian in front of me had to jump out of the way of a car when he was half way across the Longford St crossing that I was about to step onto!! The car had to swerve and skid to avoid him.

 

O'Leary St is the route my bus take and is a very busy road which passes a primary school - yes it is a 20mph but car rarely keep to that speed.

 

Recently the school where I am a governor lost its Crossing Patrol Officer. I objected to this but to no avail.

 

The current WBC policy is to cut cost for crossing accessories be they pelican or CPOs. :evil:

 

You could start a petition to see what support there is for your views. WBC now have an on-line facility on their web site.

 

As for drivers I am always pleasantly surprised when they do stop for me - the number 23 bus did yesterday on Hilden Road, however many don't!!! I don?t think drivers realise how difficult it is for pedestrians to cross the road the traffic is just so thick and fast in many places.

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Geoff..... your sentiments are correct and I myself as a driver always try and let pedestrians across where I can; particularly down Cromwell Avenue as the traffic usually is very heavy at certain times. I did however have second thoughts when one time I stopped to let a young man with his dughter (who was on a little tricycle) cross at 20 Acre Road.......

 

Out of nowhere, a Citroen Saxo overtook me and went the wrong way round the roundabout at about 50 mph...... now I am all for not reducing speed limits unnecessarily; but whoever that was needs catching and banning. I always now make sure of what cars are around if I let someone across nowadays!

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How on earth would you impliment that????

 

 

Simple. School zones. Same as they have in many other countries.

 

And at least I'm only suggesting light touch restrictions at the specific times and places there is a serious problem, not country wide 24 x 7 restrictions regardless of the need for them.

 

Next to my daughters school is a pub, a chip shop, a post office and Spar, an old peoples home and a Sure Start. There is also, Within 1/2 mile about 50 industrial units, a Toys r us, an ikea, a Huge M&S, a car showroom, a McDonalds, a Boots , a Next etcetera,etcetera,etcetera. How the hell are you going to enforce your pathetic ,if light touch, law.

 

All of the retail premises, industrial units, car showroom, chippy and the old folks home you mention have their own off street parking. (and I didn't realise that the pub and chippy were open at 8:30am, anyway! So no problem with on-street parking restrictions there.

 

What if I have friends visit,

 

They park on the drive. You park on the road. Just like anywhere else with residents only on-street parking.

 

I live within 1/2 mile of the school. The police don't enforce the laws which presently exist i.e. parking on a zeba, how on Gods earth do you expect them to police your new total exclusion zones???? Oh and police numbers are being cut by the way not added to. :roll::roll::roll:

 

The police don't enforce parking restrictions. The council do.

 

A couple of traffic wardens with a simple App on an iPhone or similar would do it.

 

GPS on the phone, check. Camera on the phone, check. Commercially available number plate recognition software, check. Registered keeper info available to local authorities from DVLA, check. Simple database for company car drivers living in the area register their reg numbers, easy enough. Even I could write the App myself!

 

Then the warden doesn't even have to write out tickets, all they have to do is wander round the roads taking pictures and tickets can be issued automatically.

 

In these straightened times it would be a nice little money spinner for the council.

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Really don't want to sound disrespectful but I'm having a bit of an issue with the origional post.

 

I find it hard to imagine that people are actually going to be speeding right in front of the school gates as parents drop their kids off. I've not been there and you have so I could be completley wrong but from experiance, I do know that some people's ability to judge speed often leaves a lot to be desired.

 

I have access to an extreemly accurate speed gun that you're more than welcome to borrow. Just don't let people see you using it and you'll get some accurate figures but don't be surprised if you find the vast majority of people are driving responsibly. If the numbers confirm you suspicions then you can take the matter up with the police but at least you'll have facts to back you up rather than just an opinion.

 

Bill :)

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Having had a look at google maps and the street view i wonder why they have not put speed humps at either side of the section where the school is. That way people coming down the road from the 30mph into the 20 mph would have to slow down. Now to me that would be a correct use of speed humps.

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You see what?s happening here is exactly what happened round our way. People say there?s a speeding issue but it?s opinion and they don?t have anything to back up their claim. Then others step in and suggest the only way to solve this none existent problem is to deploy speed bumps.

 

The net result is that people like me who don?t speed but do need to use these roads, end up having to pay ?850 twice in the space of four years for damage to the cars steering. Now I can?t prove the bumps caused this but then again those who put the bumps there can?t prove there was a speeding issue in the first place.

 

So before anyone starts recommending changes that affect all and sundry, checks need to be made to establish some basic facts.

 

Bill :)

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Going back to daniels86 original comment :

 

Am I the only one who thinks that the zebra crossing on O'leary Street is a waste of time????

This should be a pelican crossing instead.

 

YES I think the zebra crossing should be replaced with a pelican crossing.

 

It is a fairly busy road, has parked cars obscuring the views, is a bus route, is close to schools and the zebra crossing (like many others) is dangerous and used incorrectly by both drivers and pedestrians.

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Zebera or pelican then who?s to say which is the right one. To call it dangerous again is an opinion because if it was dangerous it?d have been replaced long ago. We call the road planners? numpties but they?re not completely stupid and wouldn?t permit a crossing to be sited where it was deemed dangerous.

 

Despite what?s being said here, I reckon that most drivers seeing children waiting at a pelican crossing would give way and allow them to cross. But at the end of the day this all comes down to patience, the pedestrian doesn?t want to wait and neither do the drivers but at least with the pelican, you don?t have to wait when its not busy which I say is the majority of the time. With the other type where you still have to wait but at quiet times people cross when there?s a break forcing the cars to stop for nothing when the lights go red.

 

Saying the road itself is dangerous is another opinion. It certainly never seems that busy when I go that way so maybe it?s the mothers themselves dropping off their kids that?s actually causes the problem?

 

Bill :)

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...but they?re not completely stupid and wouldn?t permit a crossing to be sited where it was deemed dangerous.

 

Well, you'd hope so, but sometimes they're not so skilled in their "deeming".

 

 

... maybe it?s the mothers themselves dropping off their kids that?s actually causes the problem?

 

I think that's often the case, Bill. Oh, and that includes dads too, of course.

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So ban mothers and kids... and road problem sorted

I know your only joking Diz but when the shoe?s on the other foot and people start calling for the roads to be closed (as they were over this way) then it?s not quite as funny.

 

It?s always going to be difficult to argue a point here with getting jumped on by the whiter than whites but experience has taught me to become a little sceptical about what some people claim when it comes to other peoples driving and in particular, assessing speed.

 

To give an example I was once standing talking to a lady who was adamant that cars were averaging between 40 to 60mph down her road. ?Just look at this idiot coming now!? she said. I stood in disbelief as a young lady learner driver came along in a car from one of the many driving schools that routinely used the Paddington roads because they deemed them safe for beginners.

 

Ok you may laugh at this as well but this lady told the same story to the council and they didn?t laugh. The bottom line is that a minority of people can so easily influence an already anti motorist council into taking measures that affect the majority and all based on their opinions rather than fact.

 

Bill :)

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