Parents dress as zebras for safe crossing campaign

Parents dressed as zebras have taken to Sheffield's streets to campaign for a safer road crossing outside a school.

The black-and-white striped group gathered near Nether Edge Primary School on Wednesday at the junction of Sheldon Road and Sandford Grove Road.

One parent said she was "scared every day" while on the school run, with campaigners calling for an official crossing to be installed at the location.

Sheffield City Council said the location was one of its school crossing patrol sites, but the post was currently vacant.

The event in Nether Edge was part of the Living Streets campaign, which aims to promote pedestrian safety.

Eve Holdsworth, a local parent, said the dangers included drivers passing at high speeds and traffic backing up into the box junction.

"Children cannot gauge at all when it's safe, and even as an adult I struggle," she said.

"We're so worried an accident may happen we decided to take some action."

Sara Ahmed, the nearby school's assistant headteacher, said a crossing at the junction would be a significant help.

"It's dangerous in the fact that it's a crossroads, cars coming from all different angles," she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We teach our children about road safety, but there are cars driving fast around here, it's a busy area with lots of traffic - particularly around school time."

Jenny Clark, a volunteer for Living Streets, said road safety for children was a problem across South Yorkshire.

"I was able to walk to school when I was eight, but now my children can't because it's too dangerous," she said.

Safer routes across the region would help further children take up walking to school and be "safe, autonomous, and healthy", she added.

Councillor Ben Miskell, chair of the transport regeneration and climate policy committee on Sheffield City Council, said: "We are in the process of targeting the most dangerous locations across the city and installing measures to make them as safe as possible for people to be able to walk or cycle.

"We have had a request for a pedestrian crossing at Sandford Grove Road and Sheldon Road."

Miskell added: "Whilst the school crossing patrol post is currently vacant, we are making positive progress in the recruitment to this post."

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