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Horsford Primary School pupils petition for road safety improvements

BBC Pupil logs carBBC
Horsford Primary pupils have been logging the different types of transport outside their village school

Pupils worried by the rise in traffic outside their village school have started a petition to improve safety.

Horsford Primary, in Norfolk, said there had been an increase in vehicles since the Broadland Northway bypass and two housing estates were built.

Children want to see a cycle lane introduced along Holt Road and have called upon the community to make the village safer and less polluted.

The county council said it had applied for money to fund more cycle routes.

Horsford Primary School pupils logging traffic
Pupils gathered along Holt Road to monitor the traffic situation

The school said there had been two serious accidents involving children in three years.

It has 170 pupils but only 10 regularly cycle to school, as parents have been said to be fearful about letting their children bike - leading to more school run traffic.

Teacher Shaney Blyth
Year six teacher Shaney Blyth said the children were "passionate" about the cause

Teacher Shaney Blyth said: "This is the children... they are really passionate about being safe, being able to ride their bikes.

"They have spent a lot of time in lockdown on their computers, learning from home... and now they want their freedom.

"They want to be able to get out, ride their bikes and at the moment parents are quite rightly saying, 'It's too dangerous'."

A group of 10 and 11-year-olds counted nearly 300 vehicles passing their school on the main road in 15 minutes on Wednesday, but did not spot one cyclist.

One pupil, Jenna, said: "I have the worry that I am going to get hit or one of my friends I'm out cycling with is going to get hit, and we'll be in a situation where we can't do anything about it."

The year six pupils said they were inspired by 18-year-old environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg, with more than 300 people signing their petition in two weeks.

Horsford Primary School pupils gather on the roadside
The pupils want people to sign a petition calling for a cycle lane along the main road

Norfolk County Council said it had bid for government money to create more cycle routes.

An assessment in 2020 for pedestrian crossings for the road also highlighted the advantage of bikes being used for local trips.

A spokeswoman said: "Feedback such as that provided by the school in Horsford, as well as working with the local parish council and Broadland District Council, will be crucial to identifying where to prioritise new infrastructure, should our funding bid be successful."

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