Safer routes to school

Posted on: Friday 4 February 2022

A new road crossing is to be installed near a primary school in Cwmbran as part of the Safer Routes in Communities initiative. 

Work is due to begin on Monday 7 February on the new toucan crossing on Thornhill Road, close to Woodlands Primary School in Thornhill.

The majority of the road construction work is planned for a four week period around the half term holidays. During the half term itself, the road will be closed to traffic during the working day for a week whilst the raised platform is being constructed, however it is usually possible to open the road to traffic each evening after working hours. This is preparation work for the lights themselves which will be installed shortly afterwards and due to start operating in April.

The decision to install a toucan crossing – which allows pedestrians and cyclists to cross at the same time – was taken after the school crossing patrol retired and a replacement could not be found. The opportunity was available to install a crossing for the benefit of the whole community that is available 24/7, not just at school times.

Councillor Mandy Owen, executive member for the environment, said: "We want our roads to be safe for pedestrians and cyclists across the borough to encourage people to walk and cycle more.

“Woodlands Primary is one of many schools who have to deal with heavy congestion during drop off and pick up times, so we hope that this new crossing will make a huge difference to road safety.”

The Welsh Government funded Safer Routs in Communities initiative aims to improve accessibility and safety for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly close to schools.

To find out more about road safety in the borough visit: https://www.torfaen.gov.uk/en/RoadsTravelParking/RoadSafety/Road-Safety.aspx

Take part in our latest active travel consultation around the Cwmbran Drive Active Travel Improvement Study here: https://getinvolved.torfaen.gov.uk/neighbourhoods/c-d-a-t-i-s/

Last Modified: 21/10/2022 Back to top