Information on Loughborough

Melton zebra crossing set to earn its stripes

Posted on 27/10/2009

Leicestershire Councty Council Highways, Transportation & Waste Management

26 October 2009

Melton zebra crossing set to earn its stripes

Pupils returning to a Melton school after the half-term break can use a brand new zebra crossing introduced to boost road safety.

The crossing is close to Saint Francis Catholic Primary School on Dalby Road and has been completed this week to avoid disruption to children and their parents.

The County Council project costing £40,000 involves a package of measures including new 'SLOW' road markings on the busy B6047 to encourage drivers to slow down  and an improved road surface.

The pavement has also been widened to make it safer for people walking towards the crossing or waiting to cross.

The crossing has been put in following a request from the school for better facilities as part of their school travel plan. It has been made possible by £10,000 funding from Sustrans.

Peter Roffey, Chair of the Melton Highways Forum, said: “We hope these new improvements will encourage many more children to walk to school. Walking is a healthier alternative to travelling to school in a car every day and it reduces congestion around the school gates.

"The safety improvements will not only benefit children and their parents but will aid the work of our School Crossing Patrol, Trisha Bowes, and help people crossing Dalby Road on their way into the town centre.”

To find out more about local road schemes, please visit www.leics.gov.uk/roadsandtransport

Photo Opportunity:

Peter Roffey and children from the school  will be trying out the new crossing on Tuesday, October 27th at 10am.

St Francis Catholic Primary School is on Dalby Road, Melton LE13 0BP.

Notes:

A school travel plan is essentially a series of steps to reduce the number of cars at the school gate, by encouraging healthier and greener alternatives to the school journey, such as walking, cycling or taking the bus. They are developed between the school and the County Council.

Sustrans is the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity. Its vision is a world in which people choose to travel in ways that benefit their health and the environment. It is achieving this through innovative but practical solutions to the UK’s transport challenges.