A West Devon borough councillor is asking residents to help him petition for a new pavement between Nexus Way and Kellands Lane in Okehampton to increase road safety.

Cllr George Dexter for Okehampton North has set up a petition which calls on West Devon Borough Council and Devon County Council to organise the construction of a pavement between Nexus Way and Kellands Lane to allow children and parents to walk to school safely.

This is the latest attempt to tackle residents’ long-running concern over the absence of any pavement near St James Primary School, located just off Crediton Road. This has forced pedestrians to walk dangerously close to traffic and struggle to cross the road safely.

Cllr Dexter said: “It’s the result of a lack of a master plan. The pavement should have been put in when the estates were first built. It’s ridiculous - estates are being built and a school’s been built but people have to go a very circuitous route [to stay safe].

“This is very dangerous and we must do something before someone gets seriously injured, or killed, in a road accident.

“It’s really a county council problem but it’s been put onto the borough council so that’s why I’m campaigning. My point is that you should be able to walk from Okehampton and around Okehampton [safely].

“It’s a long-running problem and I’m coming with fresh eyes.”

Cllr Dexter was elected as borough councillor at the last local elections in May and since then has said that road safety near the school was one of the major concerns residents have raised with him.

In April this year St James Primary School parents raised their concern about the increasing numbers of houses being built with very little signage alerting drivers to the school or the speed limit; no zebra crossing for children to safely cross and no continuous pavements linking the housing estates with the school during a meeting organiased by the Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust and Citizens UK.

Crediton Road is a well-known speeding hotspot and there have been multiple attempts by both the police and members of the public to tackle the problem and increase road safety.

Last year, police carried out a speedcheck with the help of St James Primary School children. As part of the operation, drivers caught speeding were invited to meet the school’s pupils who asked the drivers searching questions such as: “What would you tell my mum and dad if you had hit me?”

In August last year, Okehampton mum Kay Grundon, set up a petition asking the county council to place a zebra crossing along Crediton Road in order to help keep the children walking to and from St James Primary School safe.

She decided to set up the petition after hearing of several instances in which children were nearly hit by speeding vehicles.

To sign the petition, visit https://tinyurl.com/yckfkd4e.

Cllr Dexter will hold his next councillor surgery at the Ockment Centre on September 30 between 2-3pm for anyone who wishes to raise other concerns with him.