Seaford is very fortunate to have four excellent Primary Schools but there is one big issue which schools have very little control over which significantly affects the health and well-being of their pupils, and that is road safety on the journey to school.
We need your help to ensure
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/improved-road-safety-measures-around-chyngton-primary-school
the safety of the children of Seaford
Please sign our petition
As well as road safety issues around schools and on the wider road network, school runs create congestion, noise and air pollution too. Greater levels of active travel to and from school would help address these issues, and improve the mental and physical health of pupils and their parents and carers.
As the town continues to grow, school rolls have grown too, and with more and more children being driven to school (a rise of 40% over the last 50 years) traffic congestion around schools has become a key concern for parents, schools and local residents.
More congested and dangerous roads have led to a vicious cycle of more children being driven to school and increasing the traffic problems. Some schools (such as Chyngton and Cradle Hill) do not have zebra crossings near the school, despite lengthy campaigns. Other schools have managed to get crossings installed near-by but these, on their own, are not enough, as at times of peak traffic, motorists do not always respect the regulations. What we need are safe spaces around our schools which would encourage more people to walk to school or at least part way to school, and reduce the overall traffic congestion.
At Chyngton Primary School in Seaford the school, parents and neighbours are asking the council to consider setting up a School Streets scheme. A School Street would introduce restrictions on motorised traffic at the start and end of the school day.
Since their UK introduction in 2014, many local authorities have implemented School Streets and reported the following benefits:
- Reduced congestion and emissions outside schools.
- Reduced instances of dangerous driving, parking and turning outside schools.
- Improved perceptions of road safety.
- Increased levels of walking, wheeling and cycling to school.
- More opportunities for people to socialise.
- Improved physical and mental health amongst pupils.
- Increased pupil independence.
- Good early active travel habits carried on into later life.
East Sussex County Council have piloted school streets at three schools in the county, but currently have no plans to extend the scheme to Seaford schools.
Parents at Chyngton School have set up a petition to ask East Sussex County Council to fulfil its statutory duty to promote sustainable modes of travel to school and improve road safety for children and neighbours by:
1. Setting up a School Street scheme (or similar) to better manage motorised traffic at the start and end of the school day in the road outside the school.
2. Installing a zebra crossing on Hillside Avenue / Walmer Road to provide safe access to school and the Walmer Road park to everyone living east of Hillside Avenue / Walmer Road.
You can sign the petition using the following link;
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/improved-road-safety-measures-around-chyngton-primary-school
We hope that if this is successful, we can extend our campaign to cover other schools in Seaford.
Celebrating Seaford 