Devizes Town Council has given its support to measures to help pedestrians crossing the busy Caen Hill dual carriageway but has not pledged any money towards it.

Devizes Area Board’s transport group is exploring whether to install dropped kerbs at either side of the A361 dual carriageway by Marsh Lane to Rowde and near to the bus stops on the other side of the road, along with putting in a footpath on the central reservation. The work would cost £16,400.

The area board’s transport group said the measures would help walkers and cyclists as they would only need to cross two lanes of traffic at a time on the 70 mph speed limit road rather than four.

At a meeting of the town council’s planning committee on February 4, councillor Peter Evans, who is also on the area board’s transport group, said: “There are children crossing the road when they get off the bus. At the moment there’s no safe passage for people to get across the road. They walk across and stop on the grass in the middle."

Coun Andy Johnson had concerns and said: “I think a bridge should go across the road. It’s a very dangerous place for anyone to cross.”

A number of councillors thought it was equally, if not more, important to have a pedestrian crossing further up Bath Road outside the Spar Shop. They were told the area board’s transport group was also pursuing this.

Town clerk Sarah Todhunter said the earliest the council could consider giving funding would be in 2015/16. The planning committee agreed to support in principle the proposed crossing measures on Caen Hill.

Rowde Parish Council was due to consider whether to give its support to the proposal at a meeting last night.