AFTER two years of campaigning, funding to make Buttrills road safer has been announced.

Plaid Cymru councillor Ian Johnson welcomed the Safe Routes in Communities Funding for Barry, having campaigned with Buttrills residents and parents for road safety improvements since before his election two years ago.

The funding will go towards changing the crossing near Ysgol Sant Curig into a puffin crossing where traffic lights will be operated by pedestrians.

Other successful projects include cycling and footpath routes along Port Road between Barry Comprehensive and Weycock Cross, and another puffin crossing on Barry Road near Jenner Park school.

Councillor Johnson said: "I am very pleased that the hard work of parents from Ysgol Sant Curig and local residents has paid off and that the crossing will now be improved, making it safer for children to go back and forth to school.

“The proposals came from the parents themselves after conducting a traffic study and seeing a number of cars going through the current crossing, ignoring children waiting to cross or, worse, those already on the crossing.

“The traffic lights will hopefully make drivers think twice about speeding in either direction on the hill, something that led to a major crash in October last year when a driver lost control of his car.

“In the past two years since becoming elected as the local Plaid Cymru councillor for the centre of Barry, I have asked questions to full council about introducing this safer scheme, raised it at local PACT meetings and supported the project bid as part of the Safe Routes in Communities schemes.

“Hopefully the work on this project will be carried out over the summer and be ready in time for the new school term in September.”