Road changes offer a safer route to school for primary age pupils

Detailed designs are being produced for a crossing in Victoria Drive that will offer a safer route to and from school for children attending Our Lady Queen of Heaven primary school. Another zebra is being installed in Beaumont Road near the junction with Keevil Drive making it safer for residents visiting local shops.

The changes follow similar safety plans for the Oasis Academy in Putney and the Floreat Academy in Earlsfield which are to both have push-button signal-controlled crossings installed to help their pupils walk to and from the school gates.

Pupils attending Tooting Primary School in Franciscan Road can also look forward to safety improvements near their school gates with the installation of a new crossing point and kerb build outs, shortening the distance between pavements.

Transport spokesman Cllr John Locker said: “These latest plans mean children attending more primary schools can look forward to safer journeys to and from school.

“These safety measures are further enhancements to the work that is being done across the borough to improve road safety for our youngest residents, including a big expansion in the number of school streets we have introduced which essentially stop vehicles from driving past school gates at both morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times.

“Wandsworth already has more school streets than most other areas in inner London and we will introduce them wherever we think they can work effectively and can make that journey to school safer.

“As well as offering safer journeys we hope this will also encourage children and their parents to walk and cycle to school instead of travelling by car. It’s better for physical and mental health, improves air quality and helps deliver local climate change targets.”