Bus station lollipop campaign

Rachel Hoyes

October 28, 2008

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Piccadilly Gardens road safety push

LOLLIPOP men and women treated adults like children to drive home the road safety message in the city centre.

Unsuspecting pedestrians were targeted in a bid to alert grown-ups - as well as kids - to the importance of using marked crossings at Piccadilly Gardens.

Transport bosses launched the campaign to improve safety on the roads around bus stops which have seen five accidents involving pedestrians and buses in the last three years.

Sweet lollipops with a `stop, look and listen' message were also being given out to pedestrians.

The initiative between Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, the council and bus operators will last the half-term week while there are more people and children in the area.

Michael Renshaw of GMPTE said: "Piccadilly Gardens is a very busy area with more than 50,000 pedestrians passing through each day and around 300 buses an hour during peak times.

"We want to remind people to stick to the right crossings - their safety is much more important than perhaps saving a couple of seconds by crossing elsewhere or running for the bus.

"I hope this campaign will really encourage people to pay more attention to their surroundings when they're crossing the road and stay safe."

William Paton, 69, a lollipop man for Brookway High School in Wythenshawe, said: "I think the campaign will make a few more people take note of the dangers.

"The trouble is people don't use the crossings - they walk back and forth in between the buses. It's very dangerous."

Pedestrian Mavis Nelson, 76, from West Didsbury, said: "You've really got to look out for buses when crossing here. The bus stops are badly situated with all the shops and the tramway surrounding them."

The campaign is to further the council's road safety initiatives which include new signs and guardrail, and the repainting of 10mph speed limit markings.

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Peter M, Mcr (28/10/2008 at 07:10)

They should concentrate on the buses. If the drivers did not run red lights and obeyed the speed limits, it would do much more for safety.

citycentre, manchester (28/10/2008 at 07:37)

now just get the bus drivers to take notice of the traffic lights, and all should be well

A Bus Driver (28/10/2008 at 08:07)

I agree it is time that pedestrians should be taught to cross the road properly, without the aid of mobile phones and music in their ears, and this could be a good idea, however..... these crossing people are causing the buses to break the law.

A Bus Driver (28/10/2008 at 08:12)

continued.... pressed the wrong button... when a bus comes up Mosley Street and gets a green light to come into Picadilly the crossing light between Marks and Spencer is on red for pedestrians. Therefore when coming through these lights the idiot that was on that crossing yesterday was jumping out in front causing the buses to brake hard and stop on a yellow box,or on the tram tracks and break the law, thus allowing the pedestrians to cross on a red light,. That is the wrong message being given out. In all the years I have driven I have never been stopped by a crossing person while proceeding through a green light. They always wait till the light goes to green for pedestrians before going out into the crossing, and yes the light may then go to green for traffic, but you wait till everyone has crossed which is right. This lot are obviously not trained!

Rachel Fiddy (28/10/2008 at 13:23)

There is no point in this. I always cross the Bus Station at Piccadilly Gardens at the designated Zebra Crossings. Like I do at all Zebra Crossings, I stand and wait for the buses to stop, which most of the time they do not, mainly I find this a problem with Stagecoach. People are too quick to point the finger at the pedestrian when they get knocked over on that Bus Station, but perhaps the finger should be pointed at the bus drivers of Stagecoach who constantly fail to stop when someone is waiting to cross.

Yami Steakann, Out There (28/10/2008 at 18:44)

if the bus stops for every person that wants to cross piccadilly, on the crossing, the traffic would never move at all. the problem is the design of the station, you have to cross to get to the bus. why not revert back to the old clockwise system with the stops around the outside not on an island in the middle. there are too many pedestrians mixing with too many buses

RICHstuff, Hyde (28/10/2008 at 18:46)

Go on any bus station in any town in any country and you will find the same.......People cross where its convenient,not safe! Laziness kills people.... You will see people walking on the carriageways, roads, in between buses yards from a crossing point and with mobile/ipod on the ear, totally unaware of the approaching vehicle assuming the driver has seen them!

mode, city centre (29/10/2008 at 04:29)

now lets have a debate where the bus station should really be.Answers on a post card please.
It needs to be moved simple as.It never has looked right where it is and now the city is trying to raise it's profile the bus station area doesn't help and yes i know what a lot of other people are saying neither does the redesigned gardens.
if coming from the gardens end you have the tram lines to cross then across the roads where buses are going in different directions.yes crossings really should be used but the great majority will look for the shorter cut.also seen at different times the corner has been clipped off the panelling above the shop units by buses at the moseley street end.probably be blamed on buses avoiding people.

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