NEIGHBOURS have vowed to fight plans for a zebra crossing outside a Hampstead Garden Suburb school.

Barnet Council is proposing to install the crossing outside Brookland Schools, in Hill Top, which it says will improve road safety.

But critics say it is unnecessary, and fear it will disrupt the flow of traffic in the street, along with reducing parking spaces and disabled access to the houses.

They also say the flashing orange beacons will be disruptive at night.

A demonstration about the proposals took place last Wednesday (December 30) outside the home of Loren Loeb, who lives two doors down from the school.

Mrs Loeb said: “A large number of people are very angry. People feel the positioning is potentially dangerous. We should not have a zebra crossing. There has never been an accident outside the school. It is not like we have a blackspot we have to deal with.

“It is a conservation area, and it’s a small residential street which happens to have the entrance to the school in the street. It has always worked fine. There is not really a good reason to have it there. It may cause an accident and it may take away our ability to come and go and park.”

The 55-year-old added: “The first main concern is the position. I have lived close to the school for more than 20 years. I know the comings and goings very well. The morning traffic disperses quite quickly. Not that many children cross there because they are already at the school side.

“But if they do put a zebra crossing in, they will encourage people to cross at that point. Large swathes will cross at that time, which means nothing will move in that street which will cause a backlog of traffic. I am afraid it could eventually cause an accident.”

Mrs Loeb, a clinical audiologist, would lose space to park outside her house if the crossing goes ahead – which she said would make it tricky for her disabled mother to visit.

She said: “She currently gets dropped outside my door, but if she has to park way up the street that would be a huge disruption for us.

“At the moment, all we have is an hour restriction in the mornings and an hour and a half in the afternoons. To take it away from us 24 hours, 365 days a year, is a real change.”

A consultation is currently underway into the proposals.

Last October, The Hampstead Garden Suburb Residents’ Association said it was considering helping fund a school crossing guard - a lollipop lady - for the school if the plans were scrapped.

Gary Shaw, chairman of the association, previously said: “That way the road will retain its character, the school’s neighbours will not have to suffer flashing lights all night long and parents will feel happier because their children are seen safely across the road.”

A spokesman for Barnet Council said: “We are currently consulting on the proposals and we are encouraging residents to complete the questionnaire before the 11 January deadline.

"We have also been in consultation with the schools and the Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust.”