Bicester crossing to be up and running by 'end of the week'

Schoolchildren are among the residents in Kingsmere who have been calling for a pedestrian crossing to be built on Middleton Stoney Road since the campaign officially launched in May 2017.

Work started in June and was expected to be completed for the return of the school term in September but delays meant it has run over schedule.

The latest instalment has seen the traffic lights at the new crossing turned on this week, but residents say they were told the lights have since been turned off again and ‘not commissioned’ due to a problem with the installation.

Kingsmere Residents Association member Graham Brogden called it ‘ridiculous’ that it has taken so long to install the new crossing.

The calls come after St Edburg’s Primary School was relocated to the Kingsmere development and residents said a safer way to cross the nearby Middleton Stoney Road was needed urgently.

It feared it was a hazard for the school, which often has hundreds of children crossing at one time for church trips, as well as nearby residents who walk between the housing estate and town centre.

So far the works include removing two speed humps along Middleton Stoney Road and creating a new controlled crossing – currently without the lights switched on.

The works were expected to take just six weeks to install the new crossing and have it working in time for the new school term.

A spokesman for Siemens, which was in charge of the electrical works said: “Siemens completed our works on schedule on September 14 and our installation has been commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council.”

County council spokesman Martin Crabtree said: “Some remedial work has been identified that needs attention before the lights are switched on.

“This relates to the civil engineering work rather than the electrics and was picked up in the last few days.

“We apologise for the delay in switching the new crossing on and we hope to have it up and running by the end of the week.”