New school traffic fears

SUFFOLK County Council has, in its wisdom, to change the school system from a three to two tier system starting with the northern part of the county first.

Several suggestions were bandied about and the council decided not to have any through schools where children start in year one and carry on through to when they leave school at 18, on the same site.

I have not seen the plans of the Pakefield site but from all accounts that is what they are going to do there.

A lot has been said about the children crossing Bloodmoor, at the bottom and the top, and stopping the traffic. This is a main road from the north of the town to the industrial site and shopping area. There's all the traffic on the A12 going south to Ipswich plus traffic coming from the industrial/retail site going north or west to Beccles, and Carlton Colville joining the Carlton Colville bypass or going north via Tom Crisp Way or Elm Tree Road.

Has the council done a traffic survey on both Elm Tree Road and Bloodmoor at the times that the children will be going to school as well as when they come out at the end of the day?

This I doubt.

The reason I brought up Elm Tree Road is because I think that Elm Tree Middle is just the place for the new high school in the south. It has plenty of playing field and could have a road into Elm Tree Road where the traffic is not as prolific as Bloodmoor and the high school would have its own entrance; as for the primary it would have it own entrance into the Waveney estate.

The Pakefield High School may have an entrance by the water tower but that would be on a sharp bend, which if you are coming from the north you could probably hit a car coming out of the school, as you come round the bend. How much space is there for car parking for students as well as parking for staff and visitors?

Is the council going to sell off part of Elm Tree Middle, after they have expanded the primary school?

DAVID JEFFERSON

Oulton Road North

Lowestoft