MORE than 500 people have signed a petition calling for a pedestrian crossing on a busy road where a boy of six was hit by a car.

Maxine Pickup was trying to cross the Buckingham Road in Bicester with her own two children and six-year-old Ben Storey.

They had crossed halfway and were standing in the middle of the road when Ben was clipped by a passing car. He suffered a broken ankle and a gashed head.

Campaigners say the road, which is busier than ever due to the closure of the Banbury Road and Skimmingdish Lane, has become almost impossible to cross.

They claim that development at Slade Farm is likely to increase traffic even more.

Mrs Pickup, of Blake Road, Bicester, - who has launched a petition to get a pedestrian crossing - said: "I feel terrible. I was actually holding his hand when it happened."

Her petition has already amassed more than 500 signatures. Copies of the petition are available in shops around the area. Mrs Pickup added: "An elderly man lives in the flats opposite me and he's not very steady on his feet. He missed the bus to pick up his pension the other day because it took him so long to cross the road.

Ben's mother, Sharon Melling, also of Blake Road, said: "Some people drive up there as if it's a Grand Prix circuit. When Ben was knocked down and was lying in the middle of the road the cars didn't stop - they just went round him."

Reg Paine, area traffic engineer for Oxfordshire County Council, said the more pressure there was for a crossing, the better chance there was of the money being found.

He hopes money can come from a fund provided by the developers of the Slade Farm estate.

Mr Paine said: "We are trying to find some money to try to do something there. There is a lot of development going on in Bicester but we've got no money ourselves."

Police said the driver of the car which hit Ben would not face action.

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