MORE than 200 people have signed a petition started by a Chobham mother to get safe pedestrian crossing places installed in her village.

Naomi Gurdol is leading a campaign to make the walk to St Lawrence Primary School safer for children and parents.

Following a presentation to Chobham Parish Council outlining her initiative, she is urging villagers to sign her online petition to the county council.

Naomi and other parents say that all the crossing places on the way to school – including the High Street zebra crossing – are dangerous. They are demanding road markings and warning signs to help prevent people getting injured by vehicles.

“It’s amazing how many parents have told me about their experiences with vehicles at the crossings,” said Naomi. “It’s actually shocking, and I don’t understand why it has been happening for so long.

“If we can implement safe crossings at different points in the village than it will be easier for families to walk to school.”

The campaign is asking for pedestrian crossings at the school entrance in Bagshot Road, at the junction of Chertsey Road and Windsor Road and also in Station Road as a safe route to the recreation ground.

It says the zebra crossing should be upgraded and the narrow pavements in High Street made safer for pedestrians, including elderly and disable people.

Naomi said she and her children have a safe route to school from their home in Brimshot Lane, via a public footpath away from traffic and the lights-controlled crossing in Windsor Road, until they reach the pedestrian refuge by the High Street-Bagshot Road mini-roundabout.

“The refuge just isn’t safe,” she said. “It isn’t wide enough for a parent with a buggy and a toddler, and there are no warning signs or road markings to make it a priority for pedestrians.”

Her campaign has received support from county councillor Mike Goodman. He arranged for Naomi and other parents and school headteacher Kate Chenery to put their case to county highways officers in a Zoom meeting last Wednesday.

The petition is on the county council website, www.surreycc.gov.uk – search for Chobham Crossings Petition on the home page. The deadline to sign is 1 February.