Children in Oldbury are urging safe and responsible parking around their school after taking part in a street sign competition run by Sandwell Council, with the winning design created by pupil Sarina.
The competition encouraged pupils at Brandhall Primary School to submit designs for a road safety sign to be displayed around the school entrances.
Sarina’s design was selected by the council’s Road Safety Education Team as the winner and has been made into a sign for lighting columns at key points around the school to remind parents, carers and other motorists about the importance of safe parking.
Pupils’ creativity and Sarina’s winning design were celebrated during a special assembly at the school.
This competition is part of the council’s wider efforts to improve road safety in the borough, in line with the West Midlands Regional Road Safety Strategy, which sets out ambitious goals to reduce road casualties and ensure safer communities for families and children.
Councillor Keith Allcock, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Highways, visited the school to join the assembly and celebrate pupils’ efforts.
He said: “I would like to thank all the pupils who took part in this competition, and I congratulate Sarina on her eye-catching winning design which sends a strong message about not parking on the zig-zag lines. The competition also highlights the involvement of young people in creating positive changes in their local environment, with Sarina’s design now helping to keep the school community safer and more aware of responsible parking practices.”
Liz Hart, Headteacher at Brandhall Primary, said: “Louise from Sandwell Road Safety came to school to deliver the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 road safety assemblies. They were engaging and informative, the competition was exciting for the children and definitely helped to spread the word. The signs designed by our winner look great.”
Over the past 20 years, Sandwell has halved the number of casualties on its roads, including reducing child casualties by 67 per cent. This big reduction follows a targeted programme of engineering and education measures and supporting police enforcement action, all work which will continue to keep improving road safety.