A MOTHER has raised concerns about the safety of school children over increased traffic and speeding vehicles in Whitsbury Road.

The safety concerns about children crossing Whitsbury Road were raised by Rachel Clarke during a meeting of Fordingbridge Town Council on Wednesday, October 3.

She said: “The lollipop man was obviously there but we haven’t had one for a fair few months and with the new developments happening there is a lot of concern with myself and other parents about children crossing. We obviously teach our children road safety, however the speed at which the vehicles come down that road is unacceptable at times.

"With the amount of houses and more traffic coming through maybe we need to look at a different alternative in road safety measures.”

New Forest District councillor Ann Sevier said the Local Plan for future development in the New Forest had to go to the planning inspector and it would be another year before a planning application would be submitted.

She said: “We need everybody in Fordingbridge in that area when the plans come out to say we do need a crossing.”

Cllr Sevier said she and Councillor Roxy Matcham had already raised the issue with the district council.

Mrs Clarke said a year was “too long” to wait with the current developments taking place and the amount of traffic already in that area.

She said: “A temporary lollipop man may be adequate for the moment but I don’t feel that we can wait another year. If we all sit here in a week, two weeks, six months time and someone had been injured.”

District and county councillor Edward Heron said: “The first thing I want to make clear is we haven’t removed the post of a lollipop person, we have a vacancy.”

He said the council could support parents to do voluntary initiatives by providing equipment and training.

Councillor Andrew Lewendon said the speed limit also needed to be looked at but Cllr Heron said speed limit changes were only done as “casualty reduction measures”. Cllr Heron suggested a speed data recorder could be put in place and said he would be happy to meet with representatives from the school.