WORRIED parents at a Kidlington primary school have said a “dangerous” crossing needs new traffic lights to prevent someone being killed.

The lines on a zebra crossing outside Edward Feild Primary School in Bicester Road have become so faded that parents say motorists are ignoring them.

Oxfordshire County Council has said it will repaint the lines on the crossing but that installing a different crossing wouldn't be effective and would cost too much. 

Parent Heather Nicholls, whose nine-year-old son Charlie crosses the road every day, said: “It is an absolute nightmare.

“I’ve seen it many times where they come bombing down that road and whizz past children and they need traffic lights.

“For the little kids we want them to start being independent but I would not let them cross on that crossing.

“There will definitely be an accident on that crossing.”

Emma Cox, 23, from Kidlington, has a daughter at the pre-school and said she recently witnessed a near miss at the crossing.

She said: “A car overtook two cars and went straight over the crossing. I have always been concerned about how fast cars go down there because everyone is in a rush to get to work.”

Now headteacher Simon Jackson said the school has been in touch with Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood to agree a way forward.

Mr Jackson added: “We have concerns that drivers are not always stopping at the zebra crossing.”

Miss Blackwood said she had written to Oxfordshire County Council asking for urgent action to improve safety at the crossing.

But county council spokesman Paul Smith said: “Our experience of zebra crossings versus signalled crossings is that they have similar safety records, so there would be no safety reason to change the current zebra into a pelican or puffin crossing.

“Given that there are currently two zebra crossings in close proximity along this road we would not want to have a mixture of crossing types as there would be confusion. Converting both would be around £100,000. We don’t have the money.”

Kidlington Parish Council chairman Maurice Billington said that he was aware of the issue after an accident last year.