Keswick School safety fears lead to pedestrian crossing call

Campaigners say the approach to Keswick School is dangerous

Safety fears near a Cumbrian school have led more than 1,100 people to call for a pedestrian crossing.

Campaigners warn the main traffic and pedestrian access to Keswick School is on a bend on "a very major road" and is a "recipe for a serious and significant accident".

They believe a crossing could "potentially save a child's life".

A petition will be discussed at a Cumbria County Council meeting on Wednesday.

Sue McCauley, a parent who launched the appeal, said: "With dozens of coaches coming in and out of the entrance as well as parents' cars pulling up alongside the kerbs on double yellows and hundreds of schoolchildren starting their day, it is a recipe for a serious and significant accident.

"The children are crossing from a shop with traffic in both directions with no crossing guard or pelican or zebra crossing."

'Fast road'

Keswick Town councillor David Burn said the authority "unanimously supported" the request.

"It's a fast road that links to the A66 and changes speed quickly.

"The head teacher at the school has contacted me over the years saying 'we've got concerns getting the kids from one side of the road to the other where there's a bus stop and a garage that the kids go to at lunch time'."

Councillor Tony Lywood, who represents Keswick on the county council, has added his support to the campaign, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

He said: "That area is a problem for speed and a pedestrian crossing is certainly fitting.

"It's a concern for parents, it's a concern for residents and for the school itself."