THE long-standing issue of road safety in Chapmanslade is still being tackled by the parish council, which is hoping to bring an end to the problem once and for all.

For years concerns have been raised over the safety of children as they enter and leave Chapmanslade Primary School, in High Street.

A pupil from the school was hit by a car in January last year and the parish council sent out a questionnaire in April asking residents what they would like to see done.

Parish council chairman Phil Jefferson said: “There have been numerous attempts to solve the issue of road safety in High Street, particularly the area outside the school.

“But so far we seem to have made little progress in finding a solution that everyone is comfortable with and which is capable of being funded and implemented.

“Some years ago we persuaded and part funded Wiltshire Council to provide some traffic calming measures, including “virtual gates” at the eastern end of the village, new 30 mph signs and “SLOW” signs painted on the road surface.

“And, of course, we still regularly conduct speed watch checks at each end of the village.

“All of this has helped but has not led to us finding a permanent solution; the current parish planning exercise, especially the Voice Of The Village initiative, has shown that the issue will not go away.”

Of the 57 responses to the questionnaire, 44 families, equating to 77 per cent, said they are worried about traffic conditions outside the school.

Those who said they were concerned suggested solutions to ease the problem, with the most common idea being the addition of a pedestrian crossing, followed by a school crossing patrol.

In 2009 a protest was staged by mothers to highlight the dangers of speeding but had little effect, with the village still being blighted by the problem eight years on. The issue was discussed at a council meeting tonight (Thursday, February 16).