A new crossing over a Bicester busy road should be ready when children return to school on Monday.

Finishing touches are being made to the first of two pedestrian crossings in Southwold Lane, which that runs between the Southwold housing estate and Caversfield.

Parents, teachers and councillors have campaigned for a pedestrian crossing in Southwold Lane to help children living in Caversfield to reach Southwold Primary School safely.

Pupils carried out their own traffic survey and handed it in with a petition to Bicester Town Council.

Southwold Lane is part of the Bicester ring road and is heavily used, particularly in the rush hours.

The only way over Southwold Lane has been to use a small traffic island next to a busy roundabout in Buckingham Road.

Now the island has been extended and railings put in. The crossing will also be controlled by traffic lights.

A second crossing is planned for the other end of Southwold Lane, close to the Fringford road through another part of Caversfield. The crossing will mean that traffic has to use the nearby Banbury Road roundabout to turn towards Fringford.

Carol Steward, a town councillor and school governor, said: "It's absolutely brilliant. About 40 per cent of the school's 470 pupils come from Caversfield and now they will have two safe crossings."

County councillor Catherine Fulljames, who took the campaign to the county's road safety committee, said: "I'm happy with what we have achieved to improve safety. "

The county council has also agreed to build a footpath to be built beside the Buckingham Road between Cherwood House Care Centre, Caversfield and nearby Thompson Drive. This joins an existing footpath between Thompson Drive and Southwold Lane.

Julia Stevens, chairman of the Friends of Cherwood House, said it would give the residents more freedom.

Steve Bowden, the county council deputy area engineer in Bicester, said the crossings and footpath would cost about £75,000, to come out of the capital projects budget.