A few weeks ago I explained why monster 4x4s make the school run more dangerous and why mums and dads should buy smaller cars.

But I’ve now witnessed another threat to road safety – over-zealous lollipop people who get so carried away with their own importance they cause more problems than they solve.

For a start, the lollipop man I saw was ushering his flock across a zebra crossing. Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t drivers already required to stop for pedestrians on a crossing? Some crossing attendants provide a decent service but a jobsworth in a fluorescent jacket on a zebra adds nothing to road safety and is simply a case of keeping someone in a job.

What made the guy I saw even worse was the fact he was so carried away with his own importance he actually ended up delaying traffic more and seemed to take pleasure in winding up drivers. I’m all for people being pleasant to each other, particularly in the morning, but the amount of chatting and waving he indulged in, whilst a stream of traffic backed up, simply served to wind up commuters trying to get to work.

One driver, his patience understandably stretched to the point he could stay silent no longer, simply asked if the guy could chat a little less and encourage families to cross a little more quickly. This led to the lollipop being laid down in the road and the attendant stepping in front of the lead car before seeking to justify his existence to the driver, at the same time continuing to hold up a whole line of other cars.

On dangerous stretches of roads, particularly those near to schools, there is obviously a case to employ a crossing person and I’m sure road safety will be improved as a result.

Equally, I am aware a squeeze on budgets has led to recent cost cutting and the number of lollipop men and women has been reduced. I can only hope the positions where these people operated were taken into account and those working on zebra crossings were the first to go – somehow this individual seems to have slipped through the net.

If it was left to me I’d suggest the lollipop man I witnessed would be more usefully employed picking up litter or issuing tickets for parking on double yellow lines – there’d still be plenty of chance for him to exchange morning greetings with all and sundry.