A CITY councillor is leading the campaign to get a crossing built on Stratford Road outside South Wilts Grammar School following a collision between a schoolgirl and a car last week.

Cllr Atiqul Hoque has been putting pressure on the council for a number of years to build a crossing at the site and now hopes the council will take the matter seriously.

“We knew it was going to happen and Wiltshire Council did nothing about it,” he said.

“We need a zebra crossing and warning signals in place to slow motorists down.”

He is also upset that the council didn’t take action after a road survey took place two years ago about the safety of the elderly crossing the road from Braemar Lodge Nursing Home.

The council says improvements were made to the road after the last consultation and it is now in the process of conducting a new survey.

A spokesperson said: “A road safety survey took place two years ago after concerns were raised about the safety of elderly people crossing Stratford Road towards Waters Road.

“The survey was for the whole of Stratford Road. At the time the road suffered from a commuter parking problem, although a residents’ parking zone was planned.

“It was considered that the results of the survey would be altered by the introduction of the residents’ parking zone, so the introduction of any further crossing points was put on hold.

“The residents’ parking zone came into force in September 2014 and the planning then got underway for a new survey to determine if a new crossing was necessary and if so where it should be sited.

“We are currently waiting to hear from Wiltshire Police with a detailed report about the recent collision, before we can ascertain whether this incident should be reflected in the greater survey.”

South Wilts Grammar School told parents in a letter that they were holding sessions with pupils to reinforce the safety message and urged parents to “park in such a way that student safety is not compromised”.

In a statement the school said: “The school is very concerned when such an incident happens. The school is reviewing its current procedures to see if the safety of students, at the end of the school day along Stratford Road can be further improved.

“We will also be liaising with Wiltshire Council. The school wishes the student concerned a speedy recovery.”