Lollipop Men/women - Lethal!!!

[GEEKS_R_WE]

I left my car overnight at the Doctor's surgery and my husband had to take me to collect it this morning.

Well, on the drive back... I was at a crossroads turning right and then all of a sudden this lunatic with a lollipop stick ran in front of me to let a Pedestrian across. I had to slam on. ONE PEDESTRIAN. I was then stuck right in the middle of the crossroads so that nobody else could move at all until this very apologetic lady had crossed the road.

When we got home I asked my husband if it were ME who had done something wrong and he just said calmly, 'No, that's what they do' - many many times locally have we seen them almost getting run over but today, that really took the p**s. If I had had my baby in the car with me when I had to slam on like that, I'd have stopped my car in the middle of the road and given the stupid woman a right ear bashing! It's DANGEROUS.

When I drove on, she gave me a sort of smug look.

I was fuming. My husband said they are all unemployable losers and that's all they can do!!

Whatever happened to the lovely friendly lollipop ladies I remember from my childhood?

On the way to my shop from my house there is no less than SIX. They are menaces :twisted:

Anyone else have this problem?

I go past three on my school run. Two of them are ok but the third one is situated at exit of a mini round-about and causes pile ups. She has on many numerous occasions caused me to brake suddenly upon exiting the roundabout or left me in the middle of a crossing blocking all traffic and I'm getting the fingers up from other drivers.
I've just decided to really slow down so that if she does jump out then I'm ready for her.

 

[Marlise]

Wow, this is an old thread, but what the heck :lol:

I've never seen the point of Lollipop "people". There are quite a few where I live and on the route I take to work, but they all stand at traffic lights

So everytime the light changes for the pedestrians to cross, they stand in the middle of the road and "help" them across.

Now, is it just me or what is the point ?? The traffic signals are already doing the work, so why are you there ??

And I apologise in advance for this, but if you or your kids DON'T KNOW how to cross a road safely, then perhaps you shouldn't be a pedestrian....

To me they are completely pointless. Do they really actually save lives etc anymore than if there was no one there to help the kids across the road ??

My final thoughts on the matter, most parents these days drop there kids right in front of the school, so I think the days when kids actually used their legs and there might have been a use for Lollipop "people" are long gone....


M.

 

[ValencianNails]

Send all of your unwanted ones over to where I live, doesn't matter what colour the lights are on the drivers here take no notice

 

[JANEY K]

My dear old mum used to be a lollipop lady (School Safety Patrol Officer) the politically correct term used and she was a menace :twisted:

The term "Officer" went to her head ,car drivers would brake hard when she jumped out unexpectedly even if it was ONE person or child crossing.It was her job and safety of the children were her first priority

The slightest remark would set her off and end up in a confrontation ,she was nicknamed TOD (the old dragon) :lol:.

I never saw the point of them either as i always used the green cross code man when taking my son to school...but for unemployable losers...that's a bit below the belt isn't it !!

 

[Rach]

Wow, this is an old thread, but what the heck :lol:

I've never seen the point of Lollipop "people". There are quite a few where I live and on the route I take to work, but they all stand at traffic lights

So everytime the light changes for the pedestrians to cross, they stand in the middle of the road and "help" them across.

Now, is it just me or what is the point ?? The traffic signals are already doing the work, so why are you there ??

And I apologise in advance for this, but if you or your kids DON'T KNOW how to cross a road safely, then perhaps you shouldn't be a pedestrian....

To me they are completely pointless. Do they really actually save lives etc anymore than if there was no one there to help the kids across the road ??

My final thoughts on the matter, most parents these days drop there kids right in front of the school, so I think the days when kids actually used their legs and there might have been a use for Lollipop "people" are long gone....


M.

The lollipop lady near where i work is on a main road, where there is only one set of traffic lights (it is a fairly long road) so the kids cross near where the school is.
From what ive seen she does a great job, i have seen her standing in the road before with her lollipop and cars still trying to get passed her! As i was walking myself at the time i could not believe the ignorance of these drivers and i can see why the lollipop people get frustrated!:hug:

 

[blossom]

I was fuming. My husband said they are all unemployable losers and that's all they can do!!

This thread is so old I can only just be bothered to add to it lol

But the above quote made me :irked:, what a bigoted, ridiculous and untrue comment to make and you're as bad for repeating it on here!

The lollipop men and ladies near where I live are all nice, they do a good job and are appreciated by mums and children alike. Schools are often on quite busy roads and although the traffic is not usually all that fast moving imo, it is constant and without the lollipop person to hold the traffic up, I don't think it would stop.

BTW I have never yet been able to drive past our schools fast enough to warrant needing to slam on my brakes if lollipop steps out.

I doubt your husband would dare to disagree with you about your driving skills lol, yes dear of course it was nothing to do with you:lol:

 

[sj1973]

This thread is so old I can only just be bothered to add to it lol

But the above quote made me :irked:, what a bigoted, ridiculous and untrue comment to make and you're as bad for repeating it on here!

The lollipop men and ladies near where I live are all nice, they do a good job and are appreciated by mums and children alike. Schools are often on quite busy roads and although the traffic is not usually all that fast moving imo, it is constant and without the lollipop person to hold the traffic up, I don't think it would stop.

BTW I have never yet been able to drive past our schools fast enough to warrant needing to slam on my brakes if lollipop steps out.

I doubt your husband would dare to disagree with you about your driving skills lol, yes dear of course it was nothing to do with you:lol:

Bravo hun !!. I can't beleive people are having to "slam on your brakes" when the lollipop man/woman step out in the road,maybe they had to ,to get the children across......

This is their job and one i would not like to do,standing in all weathers to wait for the children,who they help cross main/busy roads so your/our children can get to school SAFELY.I bet if your child got hit by a speeding car , you would ask where the lollipop man/woman was.

 

[min11]

Bravo hun !!. I can't beleive people are having to "slam on your brakes" when the lollipop man/woman step out in the road,maybe they had to ,to get the children across......

This is their job and one i would not like to do,standing in all weathers to wait for the children,who they help cross main/busy roads so your/our children can get to school SAFELY.I bet if your child got hit by a speeding car , you would ask where the lollipop man/woman was.

The 'unemployed losers' bit annoyed me too, very sweeping and very unfair. Its a fair point that car drivers going to fast are to blame but for the lollipop lady that shouldn't be the point. She's there because thats the case, to keep the kids safe and because she knows there are unsafe drivers, learners, boy racers, elderly people, even under the influence drivers.

The lollipop lady that I pass during outings in my car is fantastic. She stands back from the kerb watching the traffic, holds her stick out while the last of the cars too close go by but you can see clearly she intends to step out. As you approach you can see her looking left and right and all the while she is clearly saying the same to the children. In my opinion thats how it should be. Anyone who jumps out regardless because they have the power and the lollipop shouldn't be doing the job. What exactly are they teaching the children they help across the road? That it doesn't matter how fast the cars might be going? That the car should be doing 20mph with caution because its a school zone so its their problem if they aren't so step out anyway? These ladies help children across the road but they also help them form an idea of safety, or not, as the case my be.

If the lady doesn't look like she is going to step out by indication her intention or waits until the car is too close you would slam your brakes on no matter how slow you are going. If she warns you then you can slow down to a stop. Thats why traffic lights here go amber, they warn you to slow down to stop for the red and its why the lollipop lady should hold her stick out.

:hug::hug:

 

[sj1973]

The 'unemployed losers' bit annoyed me too, very sweeping and very unfair. Its a fair point that car drivers going to fast are to blame but for the lollipop lady that shouldn't be the point. She's there because thats the case, to keep the kids safe and because she knows there are unsafe drivers, learners, boy racers, elderly people, even under the influence drivers.

The lollipop lady that I pass during outings in my car is fantastic. She stands back from the kerb watching the traffic, holds her stick out while the last of the cars too close go by but you can see clearly she intends to step out. As you approach you can see her looking left and right and all the while she is clearly saying the same to the children. In my opinion thats how it should be. Anyone who jumps out regardless because they have the power and the lollipop shouldn't be doing the job. What exactly are they teaching the children they help across the road? That it doesn't matter how fast the cars might be going? That the car should be doing 20mph with caution because its a school zone so its their problem if they aren't so step out anyway? These ladies help children across the road but they also help them form an idea of safety, or not, as the case my be.

If the lady doesn't look like she is going to step out by indication her intention or waits until the car is too close you would slam your brakes on no matter how slow you are going. If she warns you then you can slow down to a stop. Thats why traffic lights here go amber, they warn you to slow down to stop for the red and its why the lollipop lady should hold her stick out.

:hug::hug:

I pass a lollipop man and he has never stepped out infront of traffic to let the children cross the road,he does a fantastic job,where he is,it's a very busy road and the speed limit is 30mph.If your going 30mph and can see the lollipop man/woman,then you should not have to brake sharply to stop,i am always cautious about driving near school's or playground's ,the other day i had an 11 year old boy biking on the path,see me coming , and biked right infront of me

I pulled over and told him,if i was going fast,who's fault would it have been if i would have hit him?.He did not care and biked off,but who's fault would it have been?.imo it's mine,BUT he biked out infront of me.

A young lad did get hit on his bike,on the same road, for exactly the same reason.He did not look and biked across the road infront of a car,lucky the boy lived with just cut's a bruises.:hug:

 

[min11]

Sj :hug: What I was trying to say is that lollipop ladies are supposed to indicate they intend to step out. Yes you should be slowing down ( I am anyway) but the fact you are going slowly isn't going to prevent you braking sharply if she wasn't indicating she was going to step out and then does with out warning. If you pull away from a stand still and are barely moving and something appears in front of you (like a lemming pedestrian trying to cross before cars are moving) you will come to a sudden halt even if you just started pulling away. It's great your lollipop man doesn't step out but obviously from other posts some do.

At the end of the day you should be slowing down but they have a code of practice and if some lollipop people dont follow it then surely they are also to blame.:hug:

 

[sj1973]

Sj :hug: What I was trying to say is that lollipop ladies are supposed to indicate they intend to step out. Yes you should be slowing down ( I am anyway) but the fact you are going slowly isn't going to prevent you braking sharply if she wasn't indicating she was going to step out and then does with out warning. If you pull away from a stand still and are barely moving and something appears in front of you (like a lemming pedestrian trying to cross before cars are moving) you will come to a sudden halt even if you just started pulling away. It's great your lollipop man doesn't step out but obviously from other posts some do.

At the end of the day you should be slowing down but they have a code of practice and if some lollipop people dont follow it then surely they are also to blame.:hug:

I totally agree with you Min......i would like to see people slow near school's and playground's.your right,lollipop men or woman should not just suddenly step out because that is as bad as people speeding.:hug:

Yes i agree,if the lollipop men or woman just step out they are to blame hun , sorry if you misunderstood what i was saying,which is, everyone should slow down.Lollipop men or woman's job are stessfull and standing in the pouring rain must make you feel like poo !! .

 

['chelle]

Ok, it's an old thread, BUT.......

First thing that's annoyed me - why is it always presumed that accidents are the fault of the car driver? All this talk of "you should be prepared for a pedestrian to walk out into the road" - why should you? Where I come from if you are stupid enough to walk out in front of a moving car, you deserve to get run over. I dont understand why everyone seems to think that its the responsibility of a driver to consider the safety of someone who isnt considering their own safety in the first place.

In a school area, sure we should ask car drivers to watch their speed, but equally we should teach parents to look after their kids and make sure they dont run into the road, and to teach their kids some road safety. At the moment we have a culture of stupid lazy kids who will run into the road in front of a car because they havent been taught any road safety skills, and the parents sue the driver!! If it up to me I'd like to see the drivers able to sue the parents for not teaching their kids some road safety.

As for the unemployable losers comment - come on ladies stop being so touchy, and get in touch with the real world a bit. We all know that its inaccurate to make a sweeping judgement about any one profession or group of people, but its a fact that menial jobs that hold a little bit of responsibility attract the type of people who are unable/incapable of getting a job of any higher standing, and they are usually "jobsworth" types, so stop jumping all over someone for stating her opinion.

Ultimately it's a two way street. yes, car drivers should be cautious, but so should pedestrians (and parents of young pedestrians), and at the moment the culture seems to be to lay all the responsibility and blame at the feet of the driver, which is completely unfair.

 

[sj1973]

Ok, it's an old thread, BUT.......

First thing that's annoyed me - why is it always presumed that accidents are the fault of the car driver? All this talk of "you should be prepared for a pedestrian to walk out into the road" - why should you? Where I come from if you are stupid enough to walk out in front of a moving car, you deserve to get run over. I dont understand why everyone seems to think that its the responsibility of a driver to consider the safety of someone who isnt considering their own safety in the first place.

In a school area, sure we should ask car drivers to watch their speed, but equally we should teach parents to look after their kids and make sure they dont run into the road, and to teach their kids some road safety. At the moment we have a culture of stupid lazy kids who will run into the road in front of a car because they havent been taught any road safety skills, and the parents sue the driver!! If it up to me I'd like to see the drivers able to sue the parents for not teaching their kids some road safety.

As for the unemployable losers comment - come on ladies stop being so touchy, and get in touch with the real world a bit. We all know that its inaccurate to make a sweeping judgement about any one profession or group of people, but its a fact that menial jobs that hold a little bit of responsibility attract the type of people who are unable/incapable of getting a job of any higher standing, and they are usually "jobsworth" types, so stop jumping all over someone for stating her opinion.

Ultimately it's a two way street. yes, car drivers should be cautious, but so should pedestrians (and parents of young pedestrians), and at the moment the culture seems to be to lay all the responsibility and blame at the feet of the driver, which is completely unfair.

For the first time chelle i am going to disagree with you :hug:....!!!!

Where i live,car's dont care about the speed limit and i have said all along that 1 day a child will get killed and he/she will.That is the driver's fault when the child is on his/her bike and they hit him or her. Now i understand what you are saying with car's not always in the wrong,like i said in my other thread on here,a boy biked out infront of me and if i was going a little faster,like they do here,then i would have hit him.

As for the employment remark,this is a man/woman job we are talking about and all of them should take it seriously ,but some dont and i do understand that .

They get paid hardly anything for standing in rain/snow or hailstone's to protect our children.GOOd on them is what i say. Children should get taught how to cross the road safely,some parents dont and some do. But cars should watch their speed aswell.:hug:xx

 

[soriminah]

Theres one man near my house who drives me and others insane. When the traffic light is green he'll stop traffic going around the corner. It's a t-juntion and the cars turning left out of the t-juction he'll stop when the light is green for 1 kid. If that was me I'd let all the traffic through on the green light and let the kid wait for 30 seconds before letting them cross the road. They have to wait on the traffic island in the middle of the intersection so it's not like the kid will get across the road any quicker.

 

[sj1973]

Theres one man near my house who drives me and others insane. When the traffic light is green he'll stop traffic going around the corner. It's a t-juntion and the cars turning left out of the t-juction he'll stop when the light is green for 1 kid. If that was me I'd let all the traffic through on the green light and let the kid wait for 30 seconds before letting them cross the road. They have to wait on the traffic island in the middle of the intersection so it's not like the kid will get across the road any quicker.

Surly if you have traffic light's you dont need a lollipop man hun?. I always thought we had lollipop so the children cross the road safely but if you have traffic light's,then that would let the children cross the road safely !!

 

[min11]

Apparently in that situation they are there to ensure the children use the crossing as they should and don't cross when they shouldn't.

 

[1999judy]

I've got nothing but good words to say about the lollipop ladies near both nearby schools. They never just step out and are always careful but it still didn't stop a little girl last week from deciding to cross the road further down on her own and she went through a car windscreen. I don't know who was to blame as such but have always told my kids to cross with them rather than alone.
I for one don't envy them in the peeing down rain morning and evening in the winter for not very much money.

 

[Bagpuss]

I would never judge anyone by their profession .... isn't it US that get annoyed when people presume that all us beauty pros are nothing but air heads....!!

Our Lolly pop lady is a retired solicitor.

 

[blossom]

I've got nothing but good words to say about the lollipop ladies near both nearby schools.

I for one don't envy them in the peeing down rain morning and evening in the winter for not very much money.

Absolutely Judy. For a few weeks we had no lollipop person and it was a nightmare - so much easier all round when they are there. Luckily a replacement was found and everyone was happy. If there are lollipops that just randomly leap out in front of cars, giving absolutely no notice of their intention then of course that's not right, but it's not something I've ever experienced.

As for the unemployed losers comment Chelle, I'm sure you would take offence if anyone suggested you were in the beauty industry because you didn't have enough intelligence to do anything else. It's the same kind of thing. I don't think I'm being touchy in saying that was a b...y cheeky thing to have said about lollipop people.

 

[Retired]

I know this thread will probably run and run as everyone has their own opinion on drivers and 'lollipop' people. What we must always remember is that everyone is human and different in their approach, whether they are lollipop men/women or drivers. And, yes, I agree with Michelle in that the driver these days seems to be an easy target, BUT also remember that as a driver, he or she has in their hands a LOADED WEAPON that KILLS! So as drivers, we must never forget that and take absolute care in ALL situations and slow down. Just my honest opinion.