A BUSY school route is set to be given £25K for a crossing to make the journey to school safer for children in Abingdon.

During the consultation on the resurfacing of Northcourt Road last year, people in the area asked for further improvements for cyclists and school children. However, at the time the road was resurfaced these problems were not addressed.

Many Abingdon councillors saw this as a missed opportunity and have since been calling for a controlled pedestrian crossing outside Dunmore Primary school and a 20mph limit.

Councillors hope the traffic calming measures and a crossing will make it safer for children and young people to walk and cycle to Dunmore, Fitzharry's, John Mason Schools as well as Abingdon College.

Now, Vale of White Horse District Council has given Oxford County Council £25K from its Community Infrastructure Levey fund for a pedestrian crossing.

Oxford Mail: Councillor Dr Nathan Ley - County Councillor for Abingdon North

Dr Nathan Ley, County Councillor for Abingdon North said: "I'm delighted that the County Council has listened to local residents and agreed with us that a controlled crossing here is a priority, and also that we've managed to secure the funding needed. The local Lib Dems including Town and District Councillors, in addition to my predecessor Emily Smith have been trying to push this proposal for a long time.

"The crossing should have an immediate impact for children, young people and parents walking and cycling to the schools and colleges in the vicinity, and in the long run it should make it easier to one day implement a 20 mph limit. I look forward to the implementation of the crossing this financial year and seeing it delivered so that all residents in the community can benefit from the safer street as a result."

Northcourt Ward councillor Gabby Barody, added: "Northcourt road is a busy school route and most people acknowledge that more needs to be done to improve safety on this route. Improving road safety and visibility for all is a joint priority for the Town and County Councils, and I look forward to the crossing being delivered."

It is hoped that the crossing will be installed this financial year by April 2022.

Northcourt Road is used by students and pupils at four schools and colleges in the area and the crossing is likely to be placed outside Dunmore Primary school. However, pedestrian use of the road will be monitored before an exact location is decided.

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