IF this is Dorset, give me London's South Circular Road!

Tamsyn Josephs, 37, and her husband, Paul, 44, moved to Bournemouth a week ago seeking a better quality life for their two children, Samuel, three, and Madeleine, two.

But after Tamsyn's first attempt to walk to Samuel's nursery school, she says she's tempted to go back to the capital.

She spent half-an-hour trying to cross one road, and says people in the town have to "dice with death" because of the lack of zebra crossings on busy routes.

"I may not send my son to school until it's safe for us to get there," she said. "On the routes to the shops, the park and the school there is not one crossing."

Former professional fashion makeup artist Tamsyn, of Richmond Wood Road, Queens Park, added: "We moved from Richmond in London and thought we knew Bournemouth reasonably well. We had been looking for a house down here for some time. I don't drive, which is one reason why we chose this area. But we realised there are no pedestrian facilities or lights at the major junctions.

"I have got to dice with death crossing the road with my son. The area where we lived in London was right on the south circular a very busy area but it's as safe as houses.

"We thought we were coming to a nice environment to bring our kids up.

"We are definitely moving away from this part of Bournemouth. I suppose we might consider moving back to London."

She has had particular difficulty crossing the busy junction at Richmond Park Crescent with Richmond Park Road on the way to the nursery at Malmesbury Park School. The family also say they have problems trying to cross Queens Park West Drive where it meets Queens Park South Drive when they want to take their children to play in Queens Park.

And they have trouble crossing the junction of Richmond Park Road and Charminster Road to get to the shops.

Paul joked: "I feel like we've bought a house in an island with a moat round us."

Michelle Henry, spokesman for Bournemouth Borough Council, said: "A ranking order is used to decide where pedestrian crossings are placed. This is determined by a count of both traffic and pedestrian numbers and also by accident statistics. The junction of Queens Park West Drive/South Drive is not classed as a highly trafficked road and at the moment it is not considered a high priority.

"The traffic signals at the junction of Charminster Road/Richmond Park Road already allow pedestrians to cross the busy road. However, full pedestrian facilities will be put in when the junction is upgraded once we have acquired the necessary land."

She added that it was hoped pedestrian facilites could be put in at the signals at the junction of Richmond Park Crescent/Richmond Park Road later in the year.