City council hands control of lollipop crossing cover back to school janitors
Control of school crossing cover in Dundee has been returned to school janitors.
- Published in the Courier : 22.02.12
- Published online : 22.02.12 @ 09.37am
It is hoped the move will mean gaps in cover can be identified and filled more quickly.
Crossing cover was previously catered for centrally at council headquarters, but a spokesman for Dundee City Council said: ''School crossing patrollers will be managed on a cluster basis, giving janitors local control over a number of crossing points.
''This provides them with flexibility to move individual patrollers to busier sites if and when they are not covered.''
Elaine Macfarlane, secretary of Parents for Craigowl, said she hoped it would make the roads safer.
Lochee councillor Tom Ferguson also welcomed the move, saying: ''Putting it back into the hands of the janitors is a positive move because when it was that way before it worked."
He added: ''This will only be good for health and safety. Thank goodness common sense prevailed.''
No more crossing patrollers have yet been employed, but Mr Ferguson thinks things will still improve.
''The janitors have on the spot knowledge and know where cover is needed,'' he said.
Dundee City Council has come in for criticism after it was revealed 14 crossings are not staffed, with a further four members of staff on long-term sick.
The filling of posts can be difficult in some areas as it depends on the availability of people with time on their hands to turn out four times a day.
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