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

We had one who used to do 'amusing' dance routines in the road.

@Everanewbie Then take it up with the local authority. Do not blame the minimum wage employee who is doing what she has been taught to do.

I wouldn’t put in a complaint but it’d make my blood boil.

@Everanewbie

You're sitting in a heated, padded mobile living room.

Leave earlier and put the radio on

Well I think that is what OP was asking about, should she complain? Its not blame, more feeding back something that could help a lot of people without compromising her priority. She doesn't want to drag the woman over the coals, just slightly adjust the way in which she carries out her duties.

I'll bet the kids loved her, though.

I would have, too.

I get the anxiety when the lollipop man is in the middle of the road and I’m on approach. Do we rush? Do we stop? Do we go? God it’s a minefield.

Complain means complaining about the employee. Contact the local authority by all means to complain about the policies. But the local authority will put child safety first.

God how shite must your living room be? 😂

So just sit there indefinitely until everyone is finished talking? If we're determined to extrapolate this ad nauseum then why not just lay out a picnic and have tea and scones? Just leave earlier? How early? How long will the picnic last? Look, I think I can just make out, with my binoculars, someone 3 miles away that might want to cross, should I stop traffic as its the safest thing to do?

"Complain" implies "blame".

If she wasn't trying to cause trouble for the lollipop lady why not just have a word with the woman herself, or send a "comment" in to the school (who could then have explained that the early stopping was a safety measure) rather than complain.

Well said.

As I put in my earlier post, if OP felt the need, she wouldn't be unreasonable to write a delicate sympathetic letter outlining her issue. I can't be arsed to argue about semantics.

We have one just like her outside one of the schools near me. She has been known to stand on the crossing and wait over three minutes for someone coming up the road, all the while, traffic is backing up and polluting the air, and tempers are fraying. One woman threatened to punch her lights out once.

Not remotely amusing

For the love of God why don't people READ the full post before they comment !!

I remember having this complaint about my old school’s lollipop man. I observed a few times and he was reasonably helping pedestrians whilst not walking into traffic constantly (that’s not fun, people don’t stop, try to drive round you-it’s risky). He would stop traffic or hold it if he saw a late family or child who had potential to rush into the road, or who were in some way distracted and not observing the conditions- his job was only to protect pedestrians. However he did it, it was the priority, whether the pedestrians were sensible or not didn’t matter. His role was to ensure they were safe, not to manage traffic.

People were claiming how long he was there- they were just stressed and he was the place to focus on. They were late and couldn’t wait 2 minutes for safety. Imagine it was ten and the only reason they were late. They’d ring the school ranting too, from their mobiles as they drove off!

He was sworn at, shouted at every day. Tbh I did once catch him deliberately holding up one particular car who was always abusive, and I didn’t begrudge it- he was human.

He was generally great in a difficult role and well loved. He died of lung cancer though after years on the crossing.

I think you should complain. She isn't doing her job properly.,

Please don’t complain to the council or school. This is probably a retired lady who wants to get out there and meet people and interact with little children and earn a little of cash. She obviously wouldn’t have a chat in the middle of the road, letting the traffic build up, but passing the time of day to someone who probably spoke to them first is not worthy of a complaint. Give her a break. You couldn’t get a more worthwhile job.

Three minutes? OMG!!!

Hope the drivers were offered counselling

Lollipop ladies are supposed to wait for people to get to her at the side of the road and then escort them across.
They are not supposed to stand in the middle of the road in anticipation of people about to get to the crossing

Its also completely unreasonable for her to allow people to stop in the middl3 of the road for a chat
Think of all those idling cars and the pollution

Personally I’d have a word with her.

So, this lollipop lady is out in all weathers, freezing cold, pouring with rain, gales, snow, ice to keep children safe whilst they cross the road. She also risks being injured herself as vehicles have been known to have accidents on crossings.
Some people think it is a good idea to report her because she has committed the heinous crime of talking whilst working.
Our local school had the same lollipop lady for forty years. During that time she not only forged relationships with the children, but their parents as well. She was awarded a Queens Award for service to the local community & retired recently.
YABU for being so ungrateful & I suspect you would not wish to have her job.
As other posters have said, leave earlier if necessary. Of course it is challenging getting children to school in the morning, but it is the same for everyone.

Honestly people lose their damn minds on the school run.

Its a nice thought, but that is age discrimination…..as a compromise rather than an official complaint a word with the lollipop lady first

In the grand scheme of things, three minutes isn't long, but it is when you're standing in the middle of the crossing by yourself waiting for people to assist across the road.