HOPES of a Test Valley bicycle crossing being improved have been dashed by civic chiefs after a boy was hit by a car.

Hampshire County Council have decided against making changes to the crossing in Rownhams Lane, near Romsey, after a 13-year-old boy was left battered and bruised from being knocked off his bike.

Jack Dickson, from North Baddesley, has been on crutches after attempting to cross the road and relies on his family to drive him to and from school.

Now Cllr Alan Dowden has spoken of his disappointment following the decision by the council. He said: "I suppose I should have expected this response because of the £80 million cuts Hampshire County Council have proposed.

"The last thing I want is any child to be hurt and I know that until there is a fatality on that crossing the council are not going to make it a top priority.

"I understand the concerns of parents and I want to get something done.

"I will speak to Test Valley Borough Council to see if any community infrastructure levies are available to see if it could fund improvements."

A statement from the Director of Economy, Transport and Environment, Stuart Jarvis, said: "We know this junction well and understand that it requires anyone crossing, whether on bike or foot, to take care due to the different directions that the traffic comes from and the speed.

"Any change to this junction will require significant technical work to determine the best deliverable option and substantial funding to cover this work and the delivery of a scheme on the ground.

"We have also reviewed the funding available in North Baddesley and there is currently no unallocated developer contributions available."

They added: "Colleagues in the School Travel Plan team has previously worked with the Mountbatten School and would be happy to do so again in the future if there is benefit in promoting road safety awareness amongst the pupils."

As previously reported in the Romsey Advertiser, Jack’s mother, Christiana, said the crossing needs to be put “further back” from the main road to help keep other children safe.

The 43-year-old added the council should put some “flashing lights” on the crossing to help alert drivers.

The crash happened on September 20.