THERE has been a significant development in a Shinfield school’s hopes of getting a new safety measure installed.
Wokingham Borough Council’s executive member for active travel, transport and highways, Paul Fishwick, has agreed to visit Crosfields School to scope and assess the need for a crossing at Shinfield Road.
The school currently has no dedicated crossing close to its main entrance.
The issue was raised in the council meeting on Thursday, October 20, by Shinfield North councillor Parry Batth, who brought the issue to Cllr Fishwick’s attention.
He cited worsening traffic conditions at peak times, which have made the safe crossing for Crosfields students a ‘major issue’.
Cllr Batth said: “Some scoping work has already been done for [a crossing] near the school entrance. We are chasing up officers and the executive member to speed up the process.
“Cllr Fishwick has agreed to meet with the head teacher and me to assess the safety of children and parents crossing the road.”
Together with the school’s leadership team and parents of students, Cllr Batth has discussed the need for more robust safety measures around the school.
Mr Craig Watson, head of Crosfields School, confirmed staff and parents had been in communication with the council regarding the potential installation of a pelican crossing close to the school for ‘some time’.
He explained: “We are encouraging our pupils to think about how they travel to school and in particular promoting walking, scooting and cycling.
“We all know how busy the Shinfield Road is and crossing it takes some careful navigation at peak times. I think this is why so many parents are nervous about allowing their children to travel independently or leaving the car at home.
“We have Walk It Wednesdays once a month to demonstrate how easy and beneficial walking can be but we would love to see more children walking each and every day.”
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.
Both residents and Reading Borough Council raised concerns about traffic safety issues the introduction of new students would present.
Mr Watson told Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee a lot of the new intake would travel into school by bike, bus or foot.
He also explained around a quarter of students commuted with one or more siblings, reducing the number of cars on Shinfield Road.
