ST PATRICK’s Catholic Primary School in Corsham has announced a series of new measures to combat the traffic chaos at the start and end of each school day.

There have been concerns raised about the safety of pupils crossing Lacock Road, in Corsham, because of the many vehicles travelling along it at peaks times.

Long tailbacks have been reported when the road is narrowed down because of parents parking on one side to drop off children.

On Wednesday the school’s first crossing patrol officer started work to provide a safe crossing.

Lunchtime supervisor Lisa Partridge is taking on the role to help pupils and parents cross.

She said: “This road is very dangerous. I want to make sure pupils and their parents can commute safely to and from school.

“I think everything has gone well today and I’m very proud to be doing my bit.”

In two weeks Wiltshire Council will carry out an inspection to see if the crossing guard has helped improve road safety.

Headteacher Rita McLoughlin said: “We are very happy to have Lisa as our crossing patrol officer. We have campaigned for a long time to get one and we hope this will not just be a benefit to us, but also our neighbouring schools.”

The school hopes to introduce more safety measures soon, including parking restrictions and flashing warning lights at the Pound Pill roundabout.

It also aims to expand its walking bus service for pupils and is looking into staggering finishing times to cut parking congestion.

The school will hold a series of events during National Road Safety Week from November 21.

Miss McLoughlin said: “We are trying to work as hard as we can to find alternative options and we hope that everyone will take that bit of extra care when travelling near our school.

“The majority of our pupils’ parents have shown strong support for what we are doing.”

Wiltshire Councillor Peter Davies has campaigned for safety improvements around Corsham’s schools and is pleased with St Patrick’s efforts.

He said: “I hope the children use the crossing instead of emerging from cars, which is always difficult for drivers. I hope the introduction of a new lollipop lady will enhance safety for pedestrians and make drivers realise that there is a school nearby.”

Cllr Davis said he was campaigning for Wiltshire Council to introduce permits for parents, allowing them to park for free in one of the town car parks while dropping off pupils, in an effort to ease traffic problems.