Calls for more road crossings in Cheltenham after pupil ran over
Civic leaders say a lack of funding has created a "public safety crisis"
Last updated 25th Mar 2022
There are calls for more pedestrian crossings in Cheltenham after a pupil was run over near her school. Civic leaders in the town say the chronic shortfall in funding for highways has created a public safety crisis in Gloucestershire.
Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) passed a motion earlier this week which calls on Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) to put preventing harm at the heart of its funding policy for roads.
Speaking during the debate on March 21, Cllr Iain Dobbie (LD, Warden Hill) told of how a car drove over the leg of a student in Warden Hill Road – a place where he has been campaigning for a crossing for years.
He said: “What happened towards the end of last year was that a pupil from Bournside got run over right outside the school on Warden Hill Road. She fell in one direction and the car drove over her leg and broke it.
"If she had fallen differently it could have driven over her skull and killed her."
Cllr Alisha Lewis (LD, St Pauls), who put forward the motion, said she often meets a lot of families who are concerned about the lack of designated crossings for pedestrians.
She has been told by schoolchildren that they worry about getting hit by a car on their walk to and from school.
How much will it cost?
Cheltenham Borough Council estimates that the cost of crossings needed in the town ranges between £75,000 and £100,000 for their installation.
And this cannot be met by the allowances given to county councillors to resolve highways issues in their areas.
They have called for a cross-council meeting between senior highways officers and the relevant cabinet member and Cheltenham Borough and County Councillors in wards with particular road crossing concerns.
This is with a view to developing a working plan for delivering the additional road crossings Cheltenham needs by the end of 2024.