A Highgate Lib Dem councillor has welcomed the news that Haringey Council is now willing to discuss urgent road safety measures near a primary school in his Highgate ward.Cllr Neil Williams has been told that discussions on possible new safety measures at Bishopswood Road, outside Highgate Junior School, can now go ahead. The news follows pressure from the local Lib Dem councillor and questions raised in the Council over the possible funding of an improvement scheme.

Cllr Williams says that with the onset of a new school year, safety measures are needed more than ever on the road.If improvements are not made, he says it is only a matter of time before a serious incident occurs.Bishopswood Road, which forms a crescent off Hampstead Lane, has both a junior and an infants school, as well as a heavily used sports centre. During pick up and drop off times, it is often very busy and congested. To alleviate the problem, most parents driving to Highgate Junior School operate a ‘de facto’ one-way system in the road, entering at the western end and exiting at the east.

In an incident on 29th May, a boy’s foot was crushed, breaking a bone and both he and the other children who witnessed the accident were all extremely shaken. The police and ambulance services were called.

Haringey Council has so far been resisting safety measures, saying that the site was not dangerous enough according to its own accident statistics. However, the school had itself offered to make funds available for traffic measures. Initially the Council said it didn’t know if it could proceed on that basis for ‘legal reasons’. However, following pressure and questions in the Council from Cllr Neil Williams, it has now admitted this is not a bar to discussions.

Councillor Neil Williams comments:

“I am pleased that the Council has seen sense. It appears they are willing to enter discussions about safety measures, now that we have resolved the issue over whether contributions can be made over the funding of the scheme. This gives a good basis for improving safety in an area with so many children.”