MONEY has been put up for a zebra crossing on a “nightmare” road, three years after six Abingdon headteachers called for it.

County councillors Mike and Marilyn Badcock have agreed to spend £25,000 on the crossing for the top of Spring Road at its junction with Faringdon Road.

There are four schools and one nursery within a 600 metre distance of the proposed crossing, and children walk to other schools in Abingdon along the road.

Chris Harris, head teacher of Larkmead School, which has 917 pupils, said: “I see this as the first of three crossings needed to make Faringdon Road safe.

“We submitted a road safety plan in 2009 to the county council, which included pedestrian crossings.

“The plan we submitted also included one from Abingdon School across to its cricket pitch, and one between Larkmead and St Helen and St Katharine school.”

However, county highways officers put the plans for road improvements on hold due to funding cuts in 2010.

Mr Harris said that there was no money in the Larkmead School budget to put towards new road safety measures.

Larkmead pupil Ty-Ree Partridge, 11, died after a collision with a van in Copenhagen Drive as she cycled home in July 2009.

The year before, another Larkmead pupil, Sarah Waterhouse, 17, died after her bicycle was in collision with a school coach in Colwell Drive.

At present, staff members from Larkmead School train as crossing control officers to make the road safe.

School govenor and town councillor Ian Littlejohn’s daughter Rosie,13, is a pupil at Larkmead.

He said: “Driving along Spring Road can be a nerve-wracking experience if there are kids walking 20 abreast.

“Last year one child stepped out on to the pavement and was knocked over by a bike, and a cyclist was hit by a car in Spring Road. It is a notorious road, and it is a bit of a nightmare.”

The road is used by pupils walking to Larkmead School, St Helen and St Katharine School, John Mason School, the Manor Prep School and Abingdon School.

Mr and Mrs Badcock have paid for the crossing out of their county councillor area stewardship fund, which is £30,000 given to each county councillor annually to spend in their ward.

Mr Badcock said: “We are going to spend the money as people have asked us to do, in reaction to residents.”

He said he was already looking into installing another zebra crossing in Radley Road near Peachcroft.

The money for that would come out of the area stewardship fund of Peter Jones, who is absent from the council due to illness.

Mr Badcock is currently looking after Mr Jones’ Peachcroft ward on his behalf.

Mr and Mrs Badcock recently installed vehicle-activated speed alert signs in Spring Road and High Street, Drayton.

They have also used their county councillor budget for dropped kerbs in Cotman Close and Reynolds Way in Abingdon.