Dangerous junction outside Chestnut Grove Academy, Balham Post Reply

[Community Editor]

Parents and students are pleading for something to be done to make a dangerous junction outside their Balham school safer.

The group of about 20 people from Chestnut Grove Academy gathered at the roundabout turning into Boundaries Road on Monday.

There, they held up 20mph signs, reminding those drivers speeding past to slow down.

Currently there is no signage to indicate a school is nearby and there is just one 20mph sign which is situated just past the roundabout.

When kids wish to cross Boundaries Road, they must either wait for a break in traffic or for a car to stop and let them pass, many of which do not.

Mother and Earlsfield councillor Jo Rigby helped organise the demonstration, which saw an inflatable zebra crossing placed in the road to allow students to cross.

She highlighted the fact that four kids had been struck near the school (three in Chestnut Grove and one near Balham station) as a reason for immediate change.

"What I want Wandsworth Council to do is a proper open consultation," she said.

"This part especially is dangerous because the cars drive really fast around the corner," 12-year-old Siofra Mawdsley said of the roundabout.

"There’s been a few accidents here so if a zebra crossing was there it would help a lot," 13-year-old Rowan Muir added.

Even Chestnut principal Christian Kingsley came down to show his support.

Be it a zebra crossing or a lollipop lady, he said the "busy, busy" junction needs fixing.

"The safety of the children is our absolute priority and this is a really dangerous junction," he said.

"Whilst a lot of the drivers are considerate, who stop here and let the kids go past, some of them don’t.

"What will often happen is the traffic will be stacked up and pull out to the other side of the road and speed past."

For now though, the students will have to rely on those driving through the street to look both ways before turning a corner, for fear another student may be hit.
 

[Sarah McDermott]

The Nightingale councillors (Cllrs Sarah McDermott, Ian Hart and Richard Field) are well aware of the issues students face at they come and go to Chestnut Grove Academy. It is a congested area from the High Road/tube/train and has to be shared with local residents who need to drive and local businesses who need to trade. But parents must know their children are safe coming to school.

Over the past few months we have met the head of the school and the Balham Town Centre Manager and walked the area with the assistant director for traffic and engineering from Wandsworth Council. Already we have instigated many significant changes to help road safety for all - improved school signage including several 'Watch Your Speed' signs, removal of business A boards at busy times, renewing paving, repainting road lines, mending pot holes, clearing drains so students do not need to step into the road to avoid puddles, improved safety barriers and the installation of a flashing speed sign on the approach from Boundaries Road. 

I know that the school is very good at educating the students in road safety and learning to keep their eyes and ears open as they cross roads, But of course parents want to know their children are as safe as possible. We are continuing to liaise with the Council to find the best way to improve the Boundaries Road junction.

[livegreen]

If you want very little to change then leave the council and TfL to it. Their priority will be car drivers.

If you want to get something done you will need to follow the lead of groups like Extinction Rebellion.

Positive outcome would be to ban cars / vehicles between 7.30 and 9am and 2.45 and 5pm. This would have a positive impact on both residents and school children both in terms of safety, pollution, encouraging all to walk or cycle to school or station, noise etc.

Parents and pupils should follow the lead of greenpeace or extinction rebellion, with a well organised demo, over a few weeks and you might get the attention this problem deserves.

[mylifestory]

It is practially impossible to speed in this area due to narrow roads, traffic in both directions, barriers etc. This is especially true when you say cars pull out and apparently speed past on the other side of the road - this is practically impossible!

if chestnut grove school cared they can fund a lollipop lady themselves. They were asked to contribute to the one on hearnville road but refusedas it wasnt their concern so she is entirely funded by another school. try putting that to the head!

Many of the school kids, not all of them chestnut grove, do observe their part,of crossingnthe road etiquette but there is always some who like to play with the traffic, stepping out randomly as close to cars as they can. Unfortunately for them this sometimes backfires. 

live green - banning vehicles for several hours a day, absolutely hilarious!!!