A French primary school based in Hanwell is appealing to Ealing Council to implement a formal pedestrian crossing outside the school’s main entrance.
Parents and staff at Andre Malraux on Bordars Road fear that a serious accident could occur at anytime as they claim cars are often speeding over the 20mph limit on the road which is making the road unsafe for children attending the school as well as local residents.
The school, part of the Lycee Français Charles de Gaullehas, has around 200 pupils attending from 3 to 10 years old and teaches in both French and English. It is situated on the site and buildings of the former Brentside Infants School and during the 1990s become Andre Malraux school.
In a statement, from the school’s parents’ association, Association des Parents d’eleves du Lycee (APL), the school says: “Unlike nearly every other school in the borough, Andre Malraux does not benefit from a pedestrian crossing which would give its entrance more visibility and encourage drivers to slow down and let children cross the street safely.”
The parents say around 80% of its pupils live in the borough.
It added: “The APL campaign has been picking up pace over the last eight months due to the increased feeling of insecurity expressed by parents and children alike. The school traffic signs at both ends of the road are not immediately visible as the lights do not work, no positive impact on traffic has been noted. Speeding cars driving over the 20mph limit is a common occurrence at all times, which makes the road unsafe for children and the local community.”
The concerned parents also report that since neighbouring school Brentside Primary has implemented a school street in Kennedy Road which closes the road to traffic during certain hours of the day, Bordars Road has become: “a cut through for impatient drivers, only exacerbated by the recent adoption of the ‘school street’ programme by a neighbouring school which has effectively closed Kennedy Road to through traffic, pushing more drivers past Andre Malraux.”
Helene Sourdeau, James Sallows and Mounia Laalej from the APL said: “Andre Malraux’s families are active members of the Ealing community who love living in the area and participating in various activities such as our annual fundraising efforts in favour of the Ealing Foodbank. We all either walk, cycle, or drive to school and feel that Bordars Road is becoming increasingly dangerous for our children.”
They added: “We hope our traffic monitoring action will not only bring awareness of the school’s location to drivers but also highlight the need for a pedestrian crossing which we have been vocal about with the local authorities for some time now. We cannot wait for an accident to happen before the council takes action.”
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, an Ealing Council spokesperson said: “The school does in fact benefit from a pedestrian crossing. There is an informal pedestrian crossing near to the entrance in Bordars Road. The entrance is protected by pedestrian barriers in the footway to prevent pupils from running from the gate and directly into the road. There are also school warning signs and traffic calming measures in place.
“Discussions are in place with the school about the possibility of installing a second pedestrian crossing near to the school in Greenford Avenue which will replace a pedestrian island in the road and would help to improve the safety of pupils walking to and from the school who use this route. This is subject to funding being available.
“The school is welcome to discuss their concerns with the council’s school travel team who can offer help and advice on how to achieve the maximum safety to their pupils whilst travelling to and from school.”
