I’m a lollipop lady

[Yourinmyspot]

Probably pretty boring.

What is your biggest annoyance?

Does the hours feel restrictive? I think i'd find it frustrating being tied to the two time slots in my day for hardly any hours/pay. I guess it depends how you use the hours in between?

How long was the training for it?

Do you ever cover any other roads/crossings?

😂 at face timing in Africa!

Is it true you have chalk in your pocket to write registrations on the black strip on the lollipop? If you get a driver that doesn't stop for example?

People not indicating or leaving it until the last minute. It’s a crossroads I’m not psychic!

Yes it does feel restrictive at times, not the morning but the afternoon does as it means I’m always clock watching if I go out anywhere. I tend to go out in the mornings if I need to go out,

I did a morning training, then an hour after lunch followed by going and observing a lollipop man that afternoon. The following day my boss observed me on both duties. Then left to it.

No I’ve never covered any other crossings.

No! I think that used to be the case years ago, the black bit is too shiny to write on. I do keep a notebook and pen in my pocket just in case.

That was the case in the late 1930s when lollipop patrols were first introduced.

I used to just whip my phone out and photograph the reg plates.

I had no idea this was a paid job, thought it was volunteers.

Do you wear a body cam in case (god forbid) there was an accident?

Why do they have Lollipop Controllers at pedestrian crossings? Surely the kids/parents can just push the button to request the traffic stops.

What do you do during the school holidays?

Because children and sadly parents will still run across when the lights change to red.

Not sure about the OP but my council would put them on crossings with the highest amount of accidents and fatalities.

No questions but I had a lollipop lady I loved who was knocked down!

She was replaced by another but I always thought fondly of the first one. I think especially for.shy kids like me that first interaction of the day can have an impact.

No I don’t wear a body cam. They aren’t used routinely it tends to be if someone is having a lot of issues with vehicles failing to stop, or other issues.

A couple of people have asked if I get paid. It’s not much but we do get paid.

Yes this.

That’s awful, was she okay? I’m always looking behind me when I’m stood in the road, especially with the electric cars that I often don’t hear easily.

I'm in my early 30s and my DC1 is at the primary school I went to. There were two lollipop men when I went there. One retired some years ago and passed away a few years ago, I remembered his name, he was a local legend. The other one I never knew his name but he still works there! I feel he looked as old now as when I was in primary school! Haha. There's a lovely lady now who covers the deceased gentleman's old patch that my kids love.

Anyway just wanted to tell you that to echo that kids really will remember you forever! Thank you for your service!

@Yourinmyspot that's good you feel safe, I think I've read on here years ago about Lollipop people being abused by drivers or threatened, seems absolutely unbelievable, but some people seem to be so aggressive when they are driving.

I drive pass my local lollipop lady occasionally during crossing time (when I say I drive past, not if she's stopped me obviously!), she is very visible and always has a beaming smile on her face.
Must be so lovely for the kids that walk in to see her happy face, and hopefully it encourages more families to walk to school, especially in the winter.

Do you have to turn on the flashing amber lights on the signs? I remember my lollipop lady having a special tool for this.

Do people say silly things like "lollipop person" to be politically correct, or "school crossing patrol officer" to be on the safe side?

I always make sure I smile and say good morning/ afternoon to everybody. A few people have said to me ‘you’re always smiling even when it’s chucking it down’. I do genuinely love my job. I always smile and wave thank you to drivers who have stopped for me.

I have had the very odd dirty look from a driver but touch wood I’ve not been shouted at yet. I do try and be courteous to everyone but don’t always get it right.

No I don’t have to turn my lights on they come on automatically. I do have a special tool though for if they haven’t come on for some reason. I have had to use it once, we had an awful storm and they hadn’t come on so I got to turn them on!

They are officially called wig wag lights which I think is a great name!

Most people say lollipop lady which I’m absolutely fine with, my official title is school crossing patrol but I always think it sounds a bit pretentious.

I've heard of the term "wig wag" applying to the flashing red lights at level crossings. I believe they're called that to imitate an old mechanical signal called a wig wag, which was a lantern which swung from side to side; at least in the case of level crossings.

Do you always stop the traffic for teenagers, as well as younger children?

There was one lollipop lady on my route when I was at secondary. She didn't usually walk out when I was on my own, but I sometimes crossed at the same time as younger children.

That’s interesting about the origins of the term.

Not always, I always will if it’s busy or raining. I don’t get many teenagers or high school kids as the high school is the other end of town

When there are no pedestrians near, are you supposed to stand back from the crossing, with the sign held upside down, as illustrated in the Highway Code (at least, the last edition of it that I read)?

There's a lollipop lady on a route I drive, who always stands at the edge of the zebra crossing, with the sign upright, as if she is about to cross; drivers sometimes stop unnecessarily.

Yes I stand back from the edge of the road with the sign upside down as per the Highway Code.