IVC letter to parents

This letter has been sent by Fran Difranco Vice Principal - Business & Administration to parents:

Re: Pedestrian Crossing Refurbishment - Bridge Road, Near New Road, Impington and winter safety reminder - getting to and from College.

With the onset of winter and darker evenings approaching I thought it would be appropriate to remind all students of the need to remain safe when travelling to and from College & request your help as parents to reinforce that message.

In particular, please ensure pedestrians/cyclists wear high visibility clothing wherever possible and also protective helmets when cycling. The Local Authority has clear guidance on the expected conduct when travelling to and from the College which can be found at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/education/transport and then clicking on the link for "Code of Conduct"

This guidance is relevant to all students whether they walk, cycle, use the buses or are driven to College and I would therefore urge you to view this as it will help ensure safe practice if everyone follows this code. I would also like to re-emphasise that parents should not drive onto the College grounds at the end of the day to collect their children as it is extremely busy with buses, pedestrians and cyclists all exiting within a very short period of time.

We have recently been made aware of refurbishment works to the pedestrian crossing at Bridge Road, near New Road in Impington. These works are planned to start during the week of Monday 23rd November and last for approximately 4 weeks. This will impact on a number of our students who currently cross the road here as it will be necessary for the lights to be switched off at some point. Once off, the lights will remain off until the new crossing is completed. Students will need to use the next pedestrian crossing further down Bridge Road in the interim. Local Police are aware and will attempt to ensure a presence around this area at the start and end of the school day but obviously their commitments vary and will mean that this is not possible for the whole duration of the works. It is therefore essential that parents help by informing students of the alternative crossing that they should use during the works.

I am sure that once completed the new crossing will help as it is being upgraded to a new "puffin" style improving access for disabled users and also enabling pedestrians and cyclists to cross all in one movement.

Safety is paramount to all road users but particularly important at this time of year so thank you for taking the time to read this and helping us to ensure our students safety.