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Didcot, Wallingford & Thame Thursday, March 29 - Wednesday, April 4, 2018
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Pupil’s broken leg prompts concerns over road safety By Owen Hughes A SCHOOL has questioned road safety measures on a new estate after a pupil was hit by a truck, breaking his leg in two places. The Year 7 pupil was struck by a passing construction vehicle at around 8.30am on Wednesday last week while on his way to Aureus School on Great Western Park. The boy was riding his scooter without a helmet when he was struck by the vehicle on Greenwood Way at the continuation of Sir Frank Williams Avenue and the main road through the estate. Students are only allowed to cycle to school if they have completed a proficiency course and wear a helmet. Executive headteacher Hannah Wilson wrote to parents to allay concerns and announce an assembly on road safety awareness. She said: “We are increasingly concerned by the number of students coming to and from school on scooters without a helmet. We expect all students to wear a helmet if they are using a scooter to get to school. “Any student who travels to school with a scooter or bicycle without a helmet will result in it being confiscated for parents to collect. We are not trying to inconvenience anyone but we cannot risk another incident of this nature.”
Reflective strips and high visibility vests were given to pupils during a previous road safety assembly. She added: “Since opening, we have been vocal in expressing our concerns with Taylor Wimpey [the developers] about the lack of road signage, pedestrian crossings and speed bumps in and around Great Western Park. “We will be putting our concerns in writing to Didcot Town Council and Oxfordshire County Council and initialling a road safety campaign with a petition to avoid further road traffic accidents.” Didcot Town councillor Ron MiltonEldridge, who was a committee member of GWP residents’ association before becoming a councillor, said: “The major issue is that only very small portions of GWP have been adopted by the county council. “As a result of that, enforcing speed violations is very difficult because ultimately they are private roads.” Nearby GEMS Didcot Primary Academy said: “We are working with Aureus on road safety to make Great Western Park safer for everyone.” A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “We are committed to working with Aureus School and will be meeting with the headteacher this week to discuss measures to help improve the safety of the children on their journeys to and from school.”
GB call up tainted WALLINGFORD School pupil Rory Tidmarsh’s call up to the Young Kennel Club Agility Team GB for a competition in the Netherlands with his dog Sonic, has been tinged with sadness after thieves struck stealing his specialist training equipment. Turn to page 3 for full story
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