![pop-up zebra protest](https://www.eta.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/popzebra.jpg)
Every child has the right to cross to school in safety. We want to ensure that every school can get a designated safe crossing on any road on which it has an entrance. It’s the reason we developed our pop-up zebra crossing and why we took it to St Peter’s School in Portslade to help with their own campaign to get the safe crossing their kids deserve. Parents and teachers have been lobbying their local council for a safe way to cross the busy road outside the school for many years, but despite many promises it has failed to materialise.
The protest outside the school resulted in coverage in the Brighton Argus newspaper and an offer of help from the local port, which happens to be a source of much of the lorry traffic that passes the school.
Just for good measure, we dropped in on a council meeting and took the inflatable zebra crossing with us.
What is a pop-up zebra crossing?
When we were approached by a group of parents whose request for a zebra crossing at a road traffic collision black spot outside their local infant school had been turned down on grounds of cost, we went about building one ourselves as cheaply as possible.
The result was a pop-up zebra crossing that could be erected in less than two minutes. And with no need to consider drainage, the excavation of existing pavement, disposal of material, new kerbing and paving, anti-skid surfacing, road markings, traffic signs, electrical connections and pillars, the total cost came to £50 – considerably less than the £114,000 quoted by the Highways Agency.
Faced with coverage of the campaign in the Sunday Times, Daily Mail, Evening Standard and Metro newspapers and on numerous radio stations, the local authority quickly installed the much-needed real zebra crossing.
If you are facing a similar challenge trying to get a zebra crossing for your school, please get in touch.
Your journey, our world
The ETA has been voted to be an ethical company in Britain for the second year running by the Good Shopping Guide.
The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Twenty six years on, it continues to offer cycle insurance, travel insurance and breakdown cover while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all it does.
Every time you buy a policy from us you help fund campaigns like the one you’ve read about above.
David Lane
This is great. Anyone got any pointers and suggestions as to how to pull it off?
The ETA
Dear David
Please get in touch if you would like any help advice on this.
Brian Ingram
We need this for Falloden Way NW11. 2 fatalities and 3 accidents since Feb this year! (2017)
A 30 mph area with Police recording speeds to 49mph.
Amy Halls
How do we enquiry about this?
Yannick Read
Please email news@eta.co.uk
Paul McLean
Hi I’m a School Premises Manager at a school in Mid Sussex.As many other schools we have no zebra crossing but fortunately we have a wonderful crossing lady Mrs Morley. With the high volume of traffic ever increasing and people’s patience getting shorter and shorter speed increases and red mist comes down. We would be very interested into purchase one of these inflatable zebra crossing for are school. How would we purchase one of these? Many thanks and kindest regards.
Josh Schofield
Great idea but legally you need the zig zags and also the 200mm x 600mm lines at end and start of the crossing to make it legal if highways or even the police came down and saw this it would be removed off the road instantly if you happened to be run over on this then you would not be able to claim as it’s an illegal crossing. Sorry to put a downer on things just thought I’d make you aware. I’d hate to see a child knocked down.
I work for a road marking company in Manchester and have been doing road markings for 7 1/2 years
The ETA
All valid points. The pop-up zebra crossing is used to protest for having a real version installed
Peter Anderson
Just what I’ve been looking for – how much is it and where do I get one?