PARENTS are demanding new road safety measures if an Oxford primary school expands by a third.

Consultation on a proposal to increase the annual intake at St Nicholas Primary School in Marston, from 45 to 60, was carried out last month and a final decision is set to be made in December.

But the growth in pupils will need a new pedestrian crossing at a busy junction near the school, say parents.

City councillor Beverley Hazell, who represents Marston, said: “There are children in Marston who have not been able to get into local schools, so it will be good to have more local kids able to get in. I don’t think anyone has a problem with the school expanding in itself.

“But we are concerned about the road having more traffic because you already do get some speeding on the Oxford Road.

“There is a way of crossing, but it is a bit of a circular route and a lot of parents won’t do it. We need a proper crossing.”

Mum-of-four Renata Lanzoni, who lives in Beechey Avenue and has two children Julie, eight, and Karen, seven, at St Nicholas, has been campaigning for a crossing to be put in place for several years.

She said: “At that junction, people are more interested in getting across while there’s no traffic on Marston Ferry Road than seeing if there is someone crossing.

“It is really, really dangerous and cars travel at an incredibly dangerous speed. You see so many near misses.

“Having more pupils there is only going to make it worse because there will be more people trying to cross so they should be looking at a crossing there as a priority.”

The school has already agreed to take 60 children this September and, if the proposals are approved, two more classrooms would need to be built by September 2010.

Currently, there are 366 pupils at the school — that number would eventually rise to up to 480, including nursery and reception classes.

Geoff Barrell, of Oxfordshire County Council's road safety team, said: “There are currently no active plans to install a new crossing on the Oxford Road, although the council will continue to monitor the situation.

“The county council receives many requests for measures such as zebra or pelican crossings at locations across Oxfordshire each year, but in common with every other highways authority, has only a very limited budget available.

“Difficult decisions have to be made on which schemes to take forward, based on strict criteria including accident history.”