“Stop, look and listen”. It’s something we’ve all heard a million times. So why is the number of young people killed or injured on our Islington streets so high?
As part of the High & I Safer Routes To School campaign, young reporters from the Clerkenwell based news agency Children’s Express talk about how safe they feel and what can be done to make borough a safer place.
| It seems to me that the drivers in their cars don’t really care about the people who are walking. |
Ghizlan Akerbousse, 10
“I walk to school because it’s quite near to my house. There’s only one road that I have to cross and it’s really busy, so I don’t feel very safe crossing it.
“I think there’s too much traffic on the roads all over London, not just where I live in North Islington. And it seems to me that the drivers in their cars don’t really care about the people who are walking.
“To make the roads of Islington a safer place for children, there should be more lollipop men and women outside schools. I’d also like more zebra crossings. Maybe there should be more road bumps as well, that way cars wouldn’t be able to speed so much.”
Nivine Arafa, 9
“I usually get dropped off at school in the car but when I have walked I haven’t felt very safe because there’s hardly any zebra crossings. Even where there are zebra crossings, the cars don’t always stop at the right time.
“I think there should be more road bumps and traffic lights. There should definitely be more zebra crossings.”
Jaime McGinley Sutton, 12
“Some parts of Islington are okay for road safety but the part where I live near Holloway is tremendously horrible. An old lady got knocked over at Christmas. I walk to school and it seems like traffic has got worse in my area since the congestion charges came in. “
Zakariya Hussein Mohamed, 12
“I go to a school near Tufnell Park and I think road safety is a big problem around that area. There are no zebra crossings outside the school.
“There are five roads on one junction and the green man at the lights only comes on once after each road has had its turn. Then it only stays on for about five seconds, which is not enough time to get across the road. Especially when there are loads of people trying to get across at the same time.
“Sometimes people get bored waiting for the green man, so they start crossing before they should and then everyone starts moving, which is really dangerous. If they could give us more time to cross the road, then it’d be a lot safer for us.”
Kamal Akerbousse, 12
“I live in Islington but I don’t go to school here, so it’s not such a problem for me. But I do travel around a lot in the weekends and stuff so I know what it’s like.
“The roads around my area are actually quite good, but once you go to Elthorne or Archway, it’s really bad. There are always builders working on the roads so there are lots of diversions, which means more traffic. Because there are more cars, it’s harder to cross the road safely.
“I don’t know anyone who’s been hurt by a car and I hope I don’t because I’d be scared it could happen to me.”
Tracey Jordan, 14
“Traffic in Islington is worse now that the congestion charge has started because people are trying to avoid paying and driving around the areas where there’s no charge, like Holloway Road, which I reckon is probably one of the worse areas for road safety in the whole borough.
“Because there are more cars in the area, there’s more chance of children getting knocked down or badly injured when they’re on their way to and from school.
“I think there should be more traffic lights in places where there are schools, busy roads and accident spots.
“There should also be more people around to help young children get across our streets safely, like more lollipop men and women.”
About the team
This story was produced by members from the Children's Express London bureau, and was published in the Highbury and Islington Express.
