To complain about the lolly pop lady

[Morph22010]

I have to drive ds to school about 10 miles away as he’s austistic and at specialist. No other viable way to get him there, we get a transport budget paid from council. I drive through a large village on way, not an alternative route. There is a school with a zebra crossing and lolly pop lady, have never really noticed much before just stopped when needed to then on my car. There’s been a new one there about 3 months and she crosses people across then if anyone is walking down road she’ll wait in road until thry get there then they cross as well. This is meaning the traffic can start to back up so there’s more of a wait in a queue than there used to be. There was a queue this morning, was in it maybe 7 mins then stopped again at crossing. Now the bit that’s annoyed me is that the parents were crossing back across the road and one had stopped and they’ve had a conversation in middle of the road, only about an extra 30 seconds but there were huge queues both ways. She seems a great lolly pop lady for getting people across the road but Aibu in thinking they should have some regard at least to the flow of traffic? My mornings are quite stressful anyway due to ds so I’m probably letting this stress me out more unduly

OP Thank goodness for the lollipop lady. They save lives I am sure. Just set off a little bit earlier.

if only it were that easy, my son is extremely hard work in the morning to get out the door at all which is prob why I’m stressed

Nah, would piss me off if she is holding up traffic to have a chat.

They are often needed for kids safety but adults can wait and cross in their own time, surely.

Putting pedestrians first? Good for her. People stopped for 30 seconds to be sociable?
You wouldn't want to be where I am the moment then having just driven home and having to stop while cows were bring moved along the road to the milking parlour. Bad timing on my part but others try and avoid by leaving earlier or just accepting it.

Our lollipop lady can get abuse from drivers... but she does work on keeping the traffic flowing! She will call out for kids to wait at the side if she's been in the road for a minute for example, let cars go for a bit then back out fir the next lot. In the mornings she gathers a little crowd before stopping the traffic.

I'd politely complain to the council that shes doing a fantastic job for the pedestrians but needs to have more awareness about the traffic. Really polite because they do a great job and keep our kids safe but they do need to balance that with the flow of cars.

I wish we had a lollipop lady.

It’s a pretty fucking thankless job, I wouldn’t begrudge them having a chat. Where I live there are a number of schools and for a short period each morning and afternoon there’s a constant stream of school children needing to cross roads so yes, drivers will have to wait. Change your timings or your route if it’s that much of an issue.

It's not an either/or though, is it?

If people want to have a chat with the lollypop lady they can do it on the pavement, and that way everyone is happy.

Why hold traffic up for absolutely no reason?

I bet it's a tricky balance, the pedestrians and the traffic flow.

I don't think she should be holding up traffic for people still walking towards the crossing though.

30 second convo in middle of the road. Was it really 30 seconds - because if you actually count that in your head it's quite a long time to hold people up while you chat in the middle of the road.

Morph22010 · Today 09:54
if only it were that easy, my son is extremely hard work in the morning to get out the door at all which is prob why I’m stressed

I get that and can sympathise. I always say that when you pass a mum walking children to school perhaps one in a pram and others walking that she has done a days work before most folks are even out of bed, and to have one with special needs must magnify that a million times.

I think it's good traffic awareness training for the kids to have to wait for cars if they are not yet at the crossing.

Quite dangerous to just drift across thinking they will always have priority.

Obviously pedestrians do have priority but there are always idiot drivers.

Id flag it up, probably to the school.

Yanbu. Why don't they chat when they reach the other side?
I'm afraid I would be honking my horn to tell them to shift!!

I've not seen a lollipop lady in years. How great for the children at that school.

I genuinely thought this was going to be a thread about the new mumsnet vibrator being marked to "vulva owners" and "people with wombs" 🤣

Yes YABU

If she delays your journey by 7 minutes, but you can reliably get out of the house so that you'd be on time if not for the lollipop lady, then can't you just start everything 10 minutes earlier? Alarm 10 min earlier, etc.

If you can't reliably leave by a given time, then it's not her fault you're late.

Either way it's not her fault and it would be really shit to complain about her.

You would honk your horn at young children crossing a zebra crossing?

I see drivers like you every day but it's amazing to see how shameless you are about it here.

Isn't there loads of honking OP? If she's regularly holding up traffic for people not even arrived at the crossing and standing in the middle of the road chatting?

There would be round here.

I think chatting in middle of road is out of order, crossing the pedestrian is her job. I understand your son is autistic but so might some of the pedestrian be. I understand your son struggles in the morning but so do loads of others. My son is autistic and it's bloody hard but not a excuse, like people suggested leave 10 minutes earlier.

I think LakeTiticaca meant she'd honk her horn at a pair of adults standing chatting in the middle of the road.

I think it's good traffic awareness for drivers to have to wait for pedestrians now and again.
Quite dangerous for drivers to assume they always have right of way, most are oblivious of the hierarchy of users.
www.gov.uk/government/news/the-highway-code-8-changes-you-need-to-know-from-29-january-2022

@Morph22010

i think you'd be in the wrong to complain, but I think you're well within your rights to email the school/the council, to let them know & ask if she can be given a bit more training on how to manage the traffic flow by not waiting for people to dawdle along to the crossing, if they're not ready to cross they need to get to the crossing & wait! Also not chatting in the middle of the road, they can chat on the pavement.

one of the local lollipop ladies is like this (she appears to actively dislike cars/drivers) and it requires a few deep breaths sometimes if you're in a hurry, but she's a lovely older lady and fabulous with the kids, so I'd never say anything because I'd worry it would be enough for her to stop doing it and that would be awful for her & the kids.

But in your situation (a long time held up, new lollipop lady where training might not have been great) etc I would email.

He goes to breakfast club so can arrive anywhere in a 45 min window before school. If I got out the house when I am aiming for at the start of the 45 window we would miss the crossing completely quite often we do it’s when I’m late anyway (which is about 50% of the time as he’s a nightmare in the mornings) we then hit the issue but it’s only been these last few months since lady changed before thst was fine.

Get a grip.