CROSSING campaigners from a day centre in Blandford have taken a step forward in their bid for a safe passage across Heddington Drive.

People from the Blandford Day Centre have won the support of town councillors after an impassioned plea to a committee meeting on Monday.

Day centre worker John Clements said gaining the support of Blandford Town Council was a big step towards taking their case to traffic chiefs at County Hall.

“We’ve got a lot out of it. Our understanding is that the proposal that has been supported will now go forward to the county council,” he said.

“Heddington Drive is particularly wide and the traffic travels very quickly along it. It’s the combination of those two factors that make it difficult to cross, even for those people who can cross independently on a normal road.

“We’re not just doing it for ourselves. It’s become an area of town with a disproportionate number of people of different ages and abilities who find it hard to cross the road,” he added.

Day centre user David Kinsler told councillors that the road was dangerous and said a crossing would allow him to walk home from the centre on his own.

Town mayor Cllr Lynn Lindsay said the campaigners had her full support, adding that fast-moving traffic made crossing the road “an absolute nightmare”.

Blandford’s county councillor Barrie Cooper will spearhead the campaign at County Hall, and said a survey had already been taken.

“Because the proposal is to serve a centre for people with learning disabilities, it will make a stronger case for a crossing,” he said.

“It’s of paramount importance to the people at the day centre, but would also be of great benefit to people of the area. We now need to wait for the results of the traffic survey.”

A Dorset County Council spokesman said: “It will take around two weeks while the data is processed before the results of the assessment are known.”

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