CHILDREN have been learning how to stay safe around the tram as part of a new campaign.
The project has been launched by NET Phase Two construction contractor, Taylor Woodrow Alstom, as overhead power lines that will run the trams start to go up in The Meadows and Wilford.
Yesterday staff from the contractor met parents at the gates of St Patrick's Catholic Primary and Nursery School, in Wilford, to give them safety leaflets.
It follows a previous visit to the school in which children were given a presentation about the tram. Other schools in The Meadows, Wilford, Clifton and Beeston, where the tram is being introduced as part of Phase 2, have also been given a special assembly.
Jack Lawley, 11, of The Meadows, said: "I learnt that there are going to be new ticket machines put up and that we shouldn't mess with them. We also learnt that there will be test runs soon so we will need to be careful."
The overhead cables are suspended from 5.8-metre posts and carry 750 volts – more than three times the voltage found in the average home.
Lilian Oldfield, 11, of The Meadows, said: "The presentation was quite interesting. I learnt that the tram is going to run through Nottingham and it is going to cause less traffic. There will also be signs to keep you safe."
Sakina Farooq, 48, of The Meadows, was taking son Zain, 4, to school.
She said: "I think the tram is a brilliant thing – it saves time and it gets to places quickly so I am glad it is coming round here. My son is really interested and has been asking when the tram will start."
Further leaflets will be distributed to children and their parents when the first trams are tested on the new lines. Leaflets will also be handed to businesses and residents closest to the tram lines, informing them of how to work safely around the new lines.
Deputy head teacher Carmel Atkinson said: "The children responded really positively in the assembly and asked some wonderful questions that were answered in detail."
Andrew Lace, temporary operations manager at Taylor Woodrow Alstom, said: "The power lines are obviously quite dangerous if you touch it, and can be fatal, so it is important we are making people aware that they should not go near them.
"We have been telling children to watch out for the trams and do not try to shimmy up the tram poles.
"One girl asked what she should do if she got her shoe stuck in the line. I advised her that her safety is more important; leave it and get yourself away from the danger."
