YOU decide — the residents of Bere Alston are to choose where they want traffic safety improvements — with the promise of some work being carried out this year.

The move came after a meeting at the primary school on Monday, organised by Bere Alston Tenants and Residents' Association and attended by county councillor Gretta Madigan and county local services officer Mike Parnell.

Traffic hazards were discussed at a packed meeting in January in the wake of several accidents —but council officials failed to attend a follow-up meeting in April, to the frustration of many on Monday night.

The chairman of the association, Alan Carter, urged action should be taken.

'I have been here for 28 years and haven't seen any changes. We must try to make some progress tonight,' he said.

Mike Parnell said money was available for a traffic management feasibility study in Bere Alston.

The aims included the improvement of pedestrian facilities, particularly outside the school and outside the parish hall. Drainage work and resurfacing were also being considered.

Some work had already been done, he said, including the extension of zig-zag lines outside the school. School crossing patrol volunteers were also waiting to go into operation.

'The solution has to be approved by everyone,'said Mr Parnell, who said the work would have to be phased.

He said it was often drivers themselves that were the problem.

'The solution could be as simple as everyone signing a pledge to say they won't speed in Bere Alston,' he said.

But residents said this would not resolve the problem of lorries and other vehicles visiting the area.

Kim Wild, headteacher at Bere Alston Primary School, said most problems were caused by 'people not thinking'.

She said parents had been asked not to use the school car park after three near-misses involving reversing cars and pupils.

Ms Wild said: 'I am also concerned about traffic travelling through the village, especially where there is no footpath. We would like to start a virtual bus, but how safe would that be without pavements?'

Cllr Madigan said she was anxious 'not to move traffic from one area to another'.

She said: 'We must look at the whole area and the whole picture and be sure what people do want.'

She said a new community constable had been appointed who would be in the area more and should possibly take a harder line.

Safety improvements suggested by the 35 residents who attended included wider pavements and provision of pavements where there were none, control of speeding, better safety measures around the school, increased police presence, improvements to drainage and a signed route for lorries.

It was agreed the suggestions would be 'tidied up' and a questionnaire sent to all villagers, hopefully by the end of June.

As well as indicating areas of importance, residents would be asked to prioritise improvements.

The distribution would be organised by the parish council. Once the results had been collated, a village open meeting would be held in the parish hall, provisionally in July.