Happy Road! Delight as Woodbridge school gets new zebra crossing through Active Travel

A new crossing installed outside St Mary's Church of England Primary School is welcomed.
Published: 10 Sep 2025

The first scheme of the Active Travel Woodbridge project has now been delivered on the ground by Suffolk County Council.

A new zebra crossing has been installed on Burkitt Road outside St Mary's Church of England Primary School.

Children and adults with a dog on the zebra crossing
Councillor Alexander Nicoll and Councillor Ruth Leach, school admin assistant Donna Storey with Mabel the school dog, and pupils on the new crossing. (Picture: SCC)

The work was completed during the school summer holidays to minimise disruption, and two further crossings are planned, at Hasketon Road and Grundisburgh Road. Both are scheduled to be completed in early 2026.

The overall scheme seeks to make it safer to walk, wheel and cycle around the town by providing more space such as widening pavements, installing safer crossing points, and creating safer junctions.

St Mary’s headteacher Mrs Karen Read said: “We are delighted with the installation of a zebra crossing outside our school. It means our children and families can cross the extremely busy road with increased safety and confidence.

“New extended parking restrictions means pedestrians also have better visibility when crossing the road.

“This won't only benefit the children of St Mary's but also the students of other local schools. We are hugely grateful for this wonderful addition to our local environment.”

Adults, pupils and a dog on the new zebra crossing
Woodbridge county councillor Ruth Leach, with Mabel the St Mary’s School pet dog, and Councillor Alexander Nicoll join pupils on the new crossing in Burkitt Road. (Picture: SCC)

Councillor Alexander Nicoll, Suffolk County Council Deputy Cabinet Member for Transport Strategy, said: “The new crossing has been very well received by staff, pupils, and parents. It also benefits local residents.

“Burkitt Road is a busy road so the installation of a zebra crossing outside the school is exactly the sort of scheme that Active Travel Woodbridge is there to promote.

“Our Active Travel vision seeks to provide people with more options to walk, wheel and cycle for local journeys, reducing traffic speeds and making the roads less busy for those who have to use them.”

Suffolk County Council (SCC) secured funding from Active Travel England in 2022 to look at how active travel could be encouraged in Woodbridge by improving the local infrastructure.

Adults and children on the new zebrra crossing
Councillor Alexander Nicoll and Councillor Ruth Leach with St Mary’s school governors Elaine Mayhew and Zoe Reavill, right, and Active Travel Officers Emma McConville and Amy Anderson on the new crossing with pupils. (Picture: SCC)

In 2023, SCC secured a further £5m to start delivering deliver some of these improvements, of which the Burkitt Road crossing is the first.

Active Travel Woodbridge project has been split into two phases - South Woodbridge (Phase 1) and Woodbridge Town Centre (Phase 2).

Phase 1 saw a public consultation between February and April 2024 where four plans for improvements were submitted to the public for feedback - Old Barrack Road corridor, Burkitt Road corridor, Peterhouse Crescent improvements, and 20 mph limits on roads across the town.

A report summarising the outcomes for the phase can be found on the SCC website.

Phase 2 was consulted on between last November to last January and focused on Quay Street, Market Hill, and the Thoroughfare.

A report summarising the outcomes for this phase has also been published on the SCC website.