‘Why is new pedestrian crossing taking so long?’ – asks Lancing school

A county councillor has said he is ‘appalled’ that providing a ‘much-needed’ pedestrian crossing at a school in Lancing could take up to two years.
Pupils at the Globe Primary School call for a new pedestrian crossingPupils at the Globe Primary School call for a new pedestrian crossing
Pupils at the Globe Primary School call for a new pedestrian crossing

Councillor George Barton said The Globe Primary School in Irene Avenue has been campaigning for more than five years for a safe crossing for pupils in Crabtree Lane.

But the school could have to wait a further two years before anything is done, he said.

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Councillors, staff and pupils at the Globe Primary School call for a new pedestrian crossingCouncillors, staff and pupils at the Globe Primary School call for a new pedestrian crossing
Councillors, staff and pupils at the Globe Primary School call for a new pedestrian crossing

The school claims that the crossing is needed not only for children at The Globe, but for youngsters at The Robert Woodward Academy, Little Acorns Pre-school and Boundstone Nursery.

In a joint statement, school governors and councillors including Mr Barton and councillor Carol Albury said: “The crossing planned for Crabtree Lane would provide safe passage on the busiest through road for school children in the area currently without a crossing facility.

“It is pure luck that no one has been seriously injured or worse on this busy road.

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“The parents and children would love to know why this is taking so long.”

The school has been also without a lollipop person for more than a year, the school said.

A spokesman for West Sussex County Council said: “We do now have outline proposals for a controlled crossing to support The Globe.

“However, there is no guarantee when this might go ahead.”

According to the spokesman, the county council currently has approximately £3.7million a year to deliver all transport-related improvement works across West Sussex, in areas including cycling, walking, passenger transport, safety. schools access and traffic management.

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“As you can imagine, demand way outstrips this funding,” the spokesman said.

“We have an obligation to use limited finances fairly, so we have to consider each scheme on its own merits, based on the evidence presented, and it is scored against the county council’s priorities, feasibility etc.

“We then recommend a programme of the highest-scoring schemes to the cabinet member for delivery for a given level of resources and funding.”

Earlier this week, the council launched a campaign to recruit 25 new school crossing patrols across the county – including for The Globe Primary School.

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