A lollipop man has been told to stop high-fiving children as they cross the road in case they are “distracted” in a move that locals have slammed as “political correctness gone mad”. Neil Cotton, 57, said he had been “instructed” to stop high-fiving children after two years as a school crossing patrol officer in Howden, East Yorkshire.
In a since-deleted social media post, he said drivers had become upset about having to “wait another 10 seconds” while he high-fived pupils from the pre-school, primary and secondary schools across the town’s Cross Keys Corner junction. However, East Riding of Yorkshire Council said the order was to make sure children learned to cross the junction without “distractions”. Other members of the community have sympathised with with 57-year-old, describing the crackdown as “over the top” and “absurd”.
Kirsty Wilcox, whose son regularly crosses the road on his way to school, told BBC Look North: “I think it’s wrong. Why shouldn’t he, what’s wrong with it?
“It puts a smile on the kids’ faces. My son does it all the time. But now he gets upset because he’s not allowed to do it.”
Another parent, Theresa Holt said: “It’s silly. It takes literally seconds and it gives that child that little bit of happiness. He’s great with my little boy and he sees him as a friendly face.”
A driver called Michael Dalton added: “I think it’s a bit OTT (over the top), to be honest. It’s a bit PC (political correctness) going crazy again.
“As a driver, we need a to be a bit more courteous, certainly at school times.”
A spokesperson for East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: “It is vitally important that children learn to cross the road safely, concentrating without any distractions, walking carefully and being vigilant of the traffic.
“In this particular case, one of our officers spoke with this crossing patrol and simply reminded them of the need not to have distractions while children are crossing.
“However, we are confident they will continue doing a fantastic job and they are much appreciated.”