Schoolchildren and their parents have taken to the streets in protest at a crossing dubbed locally as a ‘danger junction’ following a series of accidents and near misses.

Families from Alma Primary, Queenswell Infants and Juniors, and St John’s Church of England Primary School took part in the protest at the junction of Friern Barnet Lane and Whetstone High Road on Friday, June 29.

The junction, which experiences a high volume of traffic, serves as a crossing point for children attending the schools.

Residents say cars coming off High Road, Barnet, frequently speed around the corner and lorries regularly park near to the junction, blocking sight lines and making it difficult for parents to see approaching vehicles.

In May, a car drove over the pavement and smashed through the boundary wall of St John the Apostle’s Church Hall shortly before the end of the school day.

An online petition for the council to improve safety measures at the crossing has attracted more than 400 signatures and has received the backing of Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers.

The protest was organised by Sonya Orchover, whose daughter goes to Alma Primary Schoool, who said the council had announced plans to redevelop the road configuration to include traffic lights – but had not set a time frame for the improvements.

Ms Orchover said: “Barnet encourages families to walk their children to school, which we all know benefits not only the children but also the environment, but it is terrifying to get children across these roads safely.

“There are places where the pavement disappears, and there is a blind corner for pedestrians with four lanes of traffic to contend with – virtually impossible at the best of times, but try it with three kids and a buggy.”

Labour councillor for West Finchley Danny Rich, who joined the gathering, said: “It is clear that there needs to be urgent action to ensure children can walk to school safely.

“I understand that Barnet has agreed in principle but does not have a time frame to address this. I hope it won’t require an accident to make this more of an urgent priority!”

Local resident Karen Lester added: “As a local parent, I witness every day just how dangerous it is to cross the road here. Everyone around here knows it. It’s absolutely disgusting that the Council won’t commit to a crossing. Where’s their duty of care?”

A Barnet Council spokesperson said: “We fully understand parents’ concerns regarding the crossing at Friern Barnet Lane and Whetstone High Road.

“We can confirm there are proposals to install pedestrian crossing controlled by traffic signals at the site as part of the development of Sweets Way. Due to the nature of works at Sweets Way, we do not yet have a time scale for completion.”