Parents campaign for crossing near Gobowen primary school
[gallery] Parents have resorted to standing in the road themselves so their children can cross a busy main route through a Shropshire village to get to school safely.
Campaigners in Gobowen, near Oswestry, say the parents' frustration illustrates how desperately a pedestrian crossing is needed on St Martins Road.
Families have had to take their chances crossing the main route to get to the village's primary school ever since their lollipop man gave up the role.
A campaign was launched at the beginning of this year to put pressure on Shropshire Council to provide a pedestrian crossing.
More than 750 people have signed petitions backing the idea.
Yesterday parents, grandparents and children stood in the pouring rain waiting to cross the St Martins Road.
Gobowen grandmother Dot Basham, 64, picking up seven year old Caitlin, has been leading the campaign.
She said: "I think it is now absolutely critical now to have that crossing. The situation has become so bad that parents themselves are having to act as informal lollipop men and women.
"We were told we would get a crossing in September, well September has come and gone."
Max Hodge, who collects his grandchildren, six year old Jack and three year old Luke, said that until recently there were lollipop attendants on both the St Martins road and the road to the A5 bypass.
"The school is wedged in between two fast roads," he said.
Mrs Jennie Tilling, said she stood in the middle of the road on Friday to stop the traffic while not only her sons, six year old Bradley and five year old Keiran but other families crossed.
"Sometimes its the only way to get across the road," she said.
Barry Williams who walked down to the library after school with four year old Dylan and seven year old Jack, said it was difficult to cross the road at any time of the day while Mandy Eggby, picking up six year Shannon, said when there is an accident on the A5 all the traffic is diverted through Gobowen.
"At those times its almost impossible to cross," she said.
Sarah Kunne, said she worried constantly when her son Craig, 11, walked to the bus stop to catch the bus to secondary school.
"There are also a lot of evening things going on in the village for young people who also have to get across these roads to and from home."
Officials at Shropshire Council have said the request for a pedestrian crossing is being considered. But it may not be brought in until early 2015, and only then if funding is approved.
Bosses at the Safer Roads Partnership have been targeting St Martins Road for two years after campaigners demanded action over speeding motorists.
A speed van has been sited at the side of the road on regular occasions near the village primary school as part of the crackdown. The road safety group has vowed to continue to work in the area to bring speeds down.
Latest figures from the group revealed the speed of vehicles has dropped since enforcement began; 15 per cent of drivers are exceeding 35.6mph compared to 38.4mph in October 2011.
Speed data collected at the site has highlighted that 76 per cent of offenders are from Shropshire. Of that, 47 per cent are from Gobowen itself.
Councillor Claire Wild, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "I can confirm that this crossing request is currently being progressed in accordance with the council's new road safety policy.
"Traffic and pedestrian surveys have been carried out and this scheme request will now need to be put forward for consideration of funding and inclusion as part of the 2014/15 capital works programme where it will need to be assessed and prioritised against other competing scheme requests from across the county.
"I understand that this prioritisation process is likely to take place late November/early December."
