A SHINFIELD SCHOOL has expressed its disappointment after Wokingham Borough Council decided not to install a crossing near its main entrance.
Cllr Paul Fishwick, executive member for active travel, transport and highways, confirmed additional traffic safety measures were not required at Crosfields School during a council meeting on January 19.
Having visited the site, he reported that the vast majority of students travelled in by car or bus and deemed a new pelican crossing unnecessary.
A spokesperson from Crosfields said: “We are disappointed to learn that the crossing did not secure approval from the council. Our local councillors have been most supportive of our desire to encourage our parents and pupils to walk or cycle to and from school in greater numbers.
“From consultations with the community and our parent body, there is a reluctance for parents and children to walk in these greater numbers until there is a safe crossing point at the school’s main entrance.
“As a school, we encourage sustainable transport, with, as an example, Walk It Wednesdays a regular feature of our school terms. We had hoped for greater support from the council as a whole to help our initiatives grow.
“We will continue to do all we can to help provide safe pedestrian and cycle routes for our families to allow them to make environmentally-friendly choices for their travel to school. We would like to urge the Council to revisit both our site and its decision not to install a safe public pedestrian crossing point on Shinfield Road.”
Shinfield North councillor Parry Batth had raised the question of traffic safety outside the school for a number of months and expressed his disappointment that initial groundwork done by Cllr Fishwick’s predecessor, Cllr Pauline Jorgensen would ‘go to waste’.
In February 2020, the school received the green light for plans to expand its provision to students aged 14-16, having previously only accepted children up to age 13.
The announcement saw the construction of Crosfields’ senior school building to accommodate an additional 300 students.
