Parent’s anger at traffic light delay at Bognor school

Permanent lights have been placed on the A259, close to the new Bersted Park development, where a school has relocated.

Bartons Primary School opened in the estate in October 2014, but lights that were agreed to make crossing safer are still not on more than a year later.

“I have three children all under the age of seven who all go to Bartons,” said James Joyce, a governor at the primary school.

“We have to cross the road with lots of other children every day and it’s extremely busy.

“Drivers queue to get to Chichester and it’s difficult to cross.

“It’s been really wet recently so we get wet waiting to cross, and the road is in a bad state so we often get splashed.

“The lights should have been ready ages ago, I feel like children’s safety is being compromised by unecessary delays.”

West Sussex County Council says the delay is down to the need to resurface the road, a scheme which was put on hold because of other road works nearby.

The resurfacing is scheduled for later this month, depending on the weather.

Around 180 pupils go to Bartons and Mr Joyce estimated that around 20 per cent of them had to cross the busy A259 to get there.

He said: “I spoke to the contractor, who said the lights are operational and ready to start using.

“But because they need to paint the white lines around it, it’s not yet been switched on.

“It could take another month for them to be in use which is ridiculous. They should have been switched on a long time ago.

“If they were temporary traffic lights they would be in use already.”

A spokesman for the county council assured people the crossing would be switched on as soon as the resurfacing work was completed.

He said: “The crossing has been held up pending the resurfacing of the approaches to the crossing.

“This requires a road closure and was put on hold due to other works in the area.

“The resurfacing is now scheduled for November 16 and 17 but will be dependent of weather.

“The electrical work on the crossing is complete and the crossing can be switched on as soon as the surfacing and lining is completed.”

The new traffic lights are located close to the double mini-roundabouts next to the Royal Oak, known locally as the Pink Pub.

Bartons Primary School opened last October in Bersted Park after moving from it’s previous location around half a mile away.

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