Mum’s anger at school parking
Mum-of-four Shaun a Ellwood has hit out at parking problems surrounding Castletown Primary School after her seven-year-old son Daniel Fletcher was hit by a cyclist as he left school.
Daniel was crossing the road on Fawcett Terrace after finishing school on Wednesday, May 5 when he was hit by a cyclist who was attempting to navigate around a bus.
The seven-year-old suffered minor injuries following the incident which left him shook up, including struggling to walk and had to be kept off school.
Now his mum, Shauna Ellwood from Castletown, is trying to raise awareness for the parking problems surrounding Castletown Primary School.
The 28-year-old said: “Everyone just constantly parks wherever but it is also a busy bus route which causes poor visibility for parents and children trying to cross the road.
"Daniel was just crossing the road when the peddle bike came around the side of the bus, there is no way that either could have seen each other in time.
"The school have apparently been trying to get a lollipop person for a number of years, but it keeps getting declined.
"Something needs to be done about it as it will get to the point where a child ends up getting killed trying to cross the road.”
The leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Graeme Miller, has confirmed that extra traffic enforcement visits are now ongoing at the school.
Cllr Miller commented: “We are very sorry to hear about Daniel and wish him well for a speedy recovery.
“Obstructive parking outside schools is a national issue and one which the City Council takes very seriously and that is why our civil enforcement officers and the council’s road safety car, which is equipped with CCTV, regularly visit the school.
"Since the recent incident we have increased the frequency of visits.
"Castletown Primary School has been subject to a number of traffic intervention measures over the years to help make the environment as safe as possible for school children.
"These measures have included a 20mph zone as well as physical traffic calming in the form of speed bumps and a road narrowing to help make it safer to cross, in addition to existing school safety measures such as ‘School Keep Clear’ markings."