Reporting...

Just because something appears in print does not make it a valid assertion. Yesterday the traffic was congested and some were performing U-turns to find a different route. Why?

As was went thro' the traffic light controlled junction (on green) we noticed that a police car was blocking one corner of the junction preventing access to the road leading to a number of schools. 

In their 'wisdom' planners have in the past 5 or so years, demolished a primary school in one part of the Borough, built a new school about half a mile away and in so doing increased traffic congestion on nearby roads.  

In a small area there are 4 schools.
2 primary total pupil numbers 440
Community academy with 965 on roll.
Private nursery taking 52 youngsters.

To access these schools means traffic uses one main road and a side road. Think for a minute...implication traffic numbers?

Since the majority of pupils are chauffeured to and from school, those local roads have too many vehicles using them. Add on the fact that both roads are main bus routes, the main road handles business, commercial and local traffic.

That junction became an accident waiting to happen. 

A 13-year old came into contact with a double-decker bus and survived with leg injuries. 

Reading local newspaper reports you'd be forgiven for thinking accidents were a regular occurrence. 

The newspaper quoted local residents giving the impression that the road is extremely dangerous.

Stepping back from the media hyperbole...

Near the junction there's a row of shops that includes a newsagents / sweet shop and 'butty-shop'. 

Both roads have traffic calming measures. They are  controlled by traffic lights and zebra (pelican) crossing. The side road has speed bumps.

Think back in time, some 30 years to another schoolchild accident at that junction. No-one blamed the driver, as there were numerous witnesses that saw and reported the lad running across the road without paying any attention to traffic.

I'm guessing something similar occurred yesterday as a lad dived across the road and was 'collected' by the bus. My sympathies lie with the bus driver. I lay the blame at the door of the planners. Expecting a road junction with its 'honeypots' schools, shops and traffic volume to cope with some 1450+ youngsters, parents, commuters and goods vehicles...
beggars belief.