THREE pedestrian crossings are set to be installed along a busy road in Poole in a bid to improve safety.

The council is planning to relocate a toucan crossing outside the joint emergency services building in Wimborne Road and move it closer to the Stadium Way junction.

It is also planning to install two new toucan crossings at the Shaftesbury Road junction and the Heckford Road junction.

According to a report to the Transport Advisory Group, there were nearly 30 incidents along the section of Wimborne Road between Serpentine Road and Tatnam Road in the past five years, resulting in 35 casualties. Five of these had serious injuries.

The three worst junctions for accidents in Wimborne Road are Tatnam Road, Stadium Way, and the roundabout junction leading to Serpentine Road.

Funding for the new pedestrian crossings has been obtained from the South East Dorset Transport Contribution Scheme (SEDTCS), which was replaced by the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) in January 2013.

The borough secured £151,032 from SEDTCS from a number of developments along and in the vicinity of Wimborne Road. The money will be used in addition to a Challenge Fund worth approximately £3 million, which was awarded to the borough by the Department for Transport last year.

These funds are being used to deliver a borough-wide project to repair five main roads: Wimborne Road, Ringwood Road, Alder Road, Blandford Road, and Magna Road/Queen Anne Drive.

The works need to be completed by the end of March 2018.

Wimborne Road is due to be resurfaced between the George roundabout and Fleetsbridge roundabout.

While this work is carried out, the council plans to install the new toucan crossings. It also aims create a new school zone, which can include features such as electronic signage and road markings to improve safety for pupils. Poole High School, located off Wimborne Road, is currently fifth on a waiting list for a new school zone, despite being the largest school in the borough.

Julian McLaughlin, head of growth and infrastructure, said improvements to Wimborne Road would increase road safety, promote sustainable travel, and improve journey times.