STEPS are being taken to try to improve the safety of the pelican crossing outside Alton Infant School on Normandy Street after three people were hit by cars in less then a week.

And, according to deputy mayor Dean Phillips, the need for urgency was further emphasised on Tuesday morning with another close shave as a driver appeared to jump a red light while travelling toward town.

Following reports of the first incident, involving a mum on her way to collect her young son from school on November 25 and a second incident involving two grandparents who were hit by a slow-moving vehicle negotiating the crossing on December 1, the various agencies involved with Alton’s £425k eastern gateway project, and in particular the upgrading of the pedestrian crossing, were quick off the mark to investigate.

Following various other on-site meetings, last Wednesday a posse of councillors, officers and engineering consultants met outside the school to try to determine the cause of these incidents and how to rectify the matter before there is a more serious incident on the crossing.

While the first incidents may have been associated with the low afternoon sun, the engineers will be looking at the positioning of the lights and, according to Mr Phillips, have already made slight adjustments to the various angles.

A parent governor and councillor on East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) with responsibility for Alton, Mr Phillips also reported that they were looking at the installation of a second light on the school side to improve visibility of the crossing lights for those travelling into town.

In the meantime, the crossing is to be regularly monitored to see if any other improvements need to be made.

In thanking all the agency representatives, among them Hampshire County Council Road Traffic Safety team, Hampshire Highways, Intelligent Engineering Solutions with operational responsibility, manufacturer Siemens, the project manager for the Eastern Gateway project, and county councillor Andrew Joy, for responding so rapidly to the problem, Mr Phillips said: “It is an indication that everybody is taking this very seriously.”

He further confirmed that 20mph roundels are about to be put onto the road and should also help to slow the traffic down on the approach to the crossing.