77215-8ANXIOUS residents have stepped up their campaign to make a Swindon road safer.

About 85 per cent of residents living in Southbrook Street signed a petition which was handed in to Mayor Peter Stoddart at the Civic Offices yesterday.

They hope this will persuade Swindon Council into taking prompt action to prevent cars parking on double yellow lines and clogging up the road.

Campaigners are calling for a residents-only permit scheme to be introduced to allow children to cross the road in greater safety.

But the local authority says it does not issue permits for individual streets.

Barbara Sheppard, who has lived in the street for 16 years, said she was delighted with residents' positive response to the petition.

"A lot of people have complained to me that the road isn't safe and this is shown by the level of support we received," said the 56-year-old retired teacher.

"We're all aware that there is an accident waiting to happen. And there are so many youngsters around here involved in different activities."

Parents of children at Ferndale Infant School and Ferndale Junior School use Southbrook Street to park while they drop them off and collect them.

Oxford Brookes' University campus also faces onto the street.

Miss Sheppard wants Swindon Council officers to survey the road so they can judge how busy the area is for themselves.

"At certain times of the day an emergency vehicle wouldn't be able to get up the street," she said.

"We will now wait and see what kind of response we get from council."

Coun Stoddart (Con) said he understood that parents dropping their children off at the school could pose problems.

"I have handed over the petition to the director of environment," he said.

"They will look into it and see what can be done to make sure the roads are safer."

Swindon Council has told the campaigners that there are no plans to introduce any more residents' parking zones.

But it has said its parking attendants would investigate and issue penalty notices to anyone parking illegally.

A spokesman said: "The council cannot make individual streets residents parking area because it is simply not viable.

"There have to be residents' parking zones and there are no plans to introduce any more."

Ben Payne