School 'fobbed off' in crossing delay, head says

A head teacher has accused a council of "fobbing off" her school over a lack of traffic calming measures and a crossing outside, five years after it was built.

Bryony McCraw, of Barton Park Primary School in Oxford, joined five pupils at an Oxfordshire County Council meeting earlier.

The children told councillors they did not feel safe walking to and from school on the Barton Park estate because of speeding cars.

The council said it was working with developer Grosvenor to improve the situation.

"We are now in our fifth year of waiting for the road to be adopted [by the council] and some safety measures put in," 11-year-old Imogen told councillors.

"This is now irresponsible and unacceptable... the safety of children in our school has to be moved up the council's to-do list."

Mrs McCraw said the school had done all it could to teach pupils about road safety and had even chalked a line in front of the school to show where the pavement ended and the road began.

She said efforts by the developer to introduce 20mph signs and posters, designed by the children, did not go far enough.

The school has held protests and gathered a petition with more than 370 signatures.

There have been several serious accidents on the estate, including one in February in which a father and child were knocked off their bike by a car at the crossing on the A40 junction.

Incidents in front of the school have involved a bike rack being knocked down, a house being crashed into, and a lamp-post being struck.

Mrs McCraw said: "First thing I want is for the council to give us a date of when the road will be adopted and we just keep getting fobbed off."

She said it was only a matter of time before a child was seriously injured.

"Are they waiting for a child to be damaged before anything actually happens?" she asked.

In a statement, Oxfordshire County Council said: "We understand the school's concerns and share its frustration.

"We are working with the developer to progress the necessary legal paperwork to allow the adoption of the roads to take place.

"We are also in discussion with the developer regarding road safety measures in the proximity of the school and the rest of the estate's spine road."

Andrew Gant, cabinet member for transport management, added: "Issues around getting roads adopted when a new development is built can be complex and time-consuming, affecting our ability to do things we would like to do."

But said he was committed to solving the situation "and delivering the safety improvements we all want to see".

Developer Grosvenor said: "The legal agreements are in place for the road to be adopted and have been for some time.

"We are in regular contact with the county council to seek to expedite its adoption."

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