Burngreave Area Panel

This page is produced by Andy Challice – Area Co-ordinator for the Burngreave Area Panel

School gates

Something weird seems to happen when adults have to get to and from school gates. Some of us lead lives that mean we never have enough time; we don’t have a minute to waste before leaving the 6-year-old at school, and getting into work by 9am. And the job isn’t round the corner – it’s on Ecclesall Road. And sometimes we have to fetch children on a wet day from two schools that are half a mile apart. So the journey to and from school is by car, if there is one.

Owler Brook school at Page Hall isn’t the only school that has this problem. At least the cars don’t tend to be 4x4s! But it means that on Wensley Street there are problems, and rows and arguments and revving engines – as tempers fray and nothing moves.

There are different ways of dealing with this. Some people say that we need wider roads and special car parks. Others say that we need double-yellow lines, parking wardens and fines. And some say that nothing should be done to encourage more drivers – but we should try and do something to see if more children (and parents) could walk to and from school.

But then I’ve heard something different. Someone white explained that it was ‘cultural’. Apparently it had been said (by an Asian dad) that “in our culture, women shouldn’t be seen walking to school with their children”. The conclusion was that at the mention of the word ‘culture’, the argument should cease as nothing could be done. As it happens, I don’t agree. I don’t agree that culture is one unchanging, unchangeable thing. Cultures change as people and communities change. Secondly, for anyone to suggest that there is a cultural – or is it religious – explanation for jumping into a car is daft and wrong. And thirdly for this absurdity to be repeated is more than wrong. It creates an ‘us’ and ‘them’ – and rapidly becomes an urban myth, or a prejudiced claim. How could anyone think that for Asian women – or any parent, it is dishonourable being seen to be walking children to school?

We know that burning carbon-based fuels (like petrol) are a major contributor to global warming. We might not be able to ‘see’ that in Burngreave, but we could ‘see’ it as virtually all the world’s glaciers are retreating. We know that airlines are major polluters, but that motorists travelling short distances in slowmoving traffic are contributing to pollution. And we know from air-quality measurements of nitrogen dioxide in Fir Vale that pollution is high. Things need to change; but that won’t happen if lazy and prejudiced thinking prevents us all from trying to do whatever we can to reduce traffic emissions.

Bring outs

The most popular section of this page – judging by the phone calls! Since last November, the Area Panel has paid for 22 bring out your rubbish days in the whole area, covering every house. The last three are in June – Carwood on 7th, around Earldom and Malton on 14th and Ellesmere/Buckenham/ Sutherland on 21st.

Area Panel

The next public meeting – Thursday 30th June 2005 at 6.30pm at Pitsmoor Methodists. We’ve got the local NHS colleagues (Gary McCulloch from North PCT) talking about action against the main local killer diseases – like diabetes and heart disease; and staff (Shanza Hussain) from Planning explaining how we can influence the way the city and our localities might be changing for the better in the next ten years – the new ‘planning framework’ which controls and encourages particular sorts of development throughout the city.