Puffin protection for village road
A new puffin crossing has been installed during the school holidays on Warwick Road in Leek Wootton, to provide pupils with a safer crossing point.
The crossing has been built by Warwickshire County Council as part of the Safer Routes to Schools initiative. This aims to encourage schoolchildren and their parents to walk to school, rather than travel by car, thereby reducing traffic congestion, pollution and road safety hazards around the school gate.
A school crossing patrol used to help pupils and parents to cross the busy Warwick Road to All Saints C of E Primary School, but the post has been vacant for two years and no-one has come forward to fill the post in spite of a recruitment campaign in the village.
Cllr Josephine Compton, ward member for Leek Wootton, said: “It’s a shame we lost the crossing patrol, but I’m delighted that we now have this puffin crossing in leek Wootton for the whole community to take advantage of.”
Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “Over the past ten years the number of children walking to school has halved, while the number being driven to school has doubled.
“Safer Routes to Schools aims to encourage children to walk or cycle to school by improving the safety of pedestrians and cycle routes. I’m delighted to see this new puffin crossing in Leek Wootton adding to this scheme.”