MORE calls for action were recently heard at a public meeting to stop traffic chaos and improve safety for school children in Kingswood near Wotton.
It comes after three children were recently hit by cars in two separate incidents along the narrow and dangerous Wotton Road.
In one incident, one child was left with a fractured elbow while walking home from Katharine Lady Berkeley's on Tuesday, July 11.
The safety meeting took place on Monday, August 14, organised by Kingswood Parish Council.
The meeting held at Kingswood Village Hall was packed with attendees who heard from GCC Councillor Linda Cohen (LD, Wotton) and parents as well as three representatives from Gloucestershire Highways Agency.
Also, in attendance was PC David Holland, a road safety and traffic manager from the Criminal Justice Department.
Parents have described Wotton Road which runs past outside Kingswood Primary School as a ‘recipe for disaster’, where families are forced to cross the road without a pedestrian crossing.
Meanwhile, the situation has been exacerbated by the number of parked cars along the stretch of road, as there are currently no parking restrictions in place.
In addition, school buses on their way to KLB also keep getting stuck in the road between the Car Clinic and the primary school.
Local mum Sian Blackham said: “The lives of school children walking to and from school are at risk from dangerous driving through the village.
“It’s totally unacceptable that three children have been hurt.
"This is three children too many.
“A combination of a narrow footpath, pinch point in the road, parked cars and a convoy of school buses which regularly mount the kerb to get through, at the same time children are walking along the footpath, is a recipe for disaster.
“At its narrowest the footpath on Wotton Road is just 78cm!
“It’s traffic chaos during school drop off and pick up.
“Our children must be safe walking to and from school.
“We need everyone to work together to find a solution which protects them Gloucestershire Highways promised a safety audit before the end of the last academic year but failed to deliver it.
“This needs to happen as a priority. Applegates and Euro Coaches could easily reroute their buses.
“This would only add a matter of minutes to the journey time but they just won’t engage.
“The issue has been raised with them time and time again.”
A safety petition about Wotton Road has been launched by Ms Blackham and now has more than 600 signatures.
A new group has also recently been formed by families called Kingswood Village Road Safety Group.
They say they are planning to present the safety petition directly to Gloucestershire County Council on Wednesday, September 13.
A spokesperson from Kingswood Parish Council said: “We would like to thank the officers who attended on Monday.
“We still do not have a date for a safety audit or any solutions on the table to discuss.
“This is not good enough, children are at risk.”
A spokesperson for Gloucestershire County Council said: “We are monitoring the situation in Kingswood to determine what action could be taken to improve the situation for residents and the parish council.
“Three representatives from the council’s highways and road safety team attended the public meeting on August 14, together with the local county councillor and representatives from Gloucestershire Constabulary.
“We will continue to work closely with Kingswood Parish Council, the local county councillor and residents to find a solution that is appropriate for all parties.”
You can view the petition here tinyurl.com/m2aa7p66 or you can find physical copies in the village shop.
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