A CAMPAIGNING father whose little boy was almost run over by a van on his way to school has given a cautious welcome to plans to improve a main road in his village.

Roads bosses have outlined safety plans on the A64 through Sherburn after Gordon Mallon collected more than 300 signatures from concerned villagers.

Villagers say the main problem is with HGVs and other large vehicles parking on the pavement to unload goods to businesses in the village.

A number of safety improvements have been proposed, which go before members of North Yorkshire County Council's Ryedale Area Committee next week.

These include creating a loading bay for vehicles which would stop them parking on the pavement.

Another suggestion is lowering the number of HGVs going through the village to the nearby Wards factory by creating a means by which goods can be delivered by rail instead.

"There are major cost implications involved in a proposal of this nature," says a report to the committee on the rail suggestion.

"A great deal of further study and assessment work will need to be carried out before it could be considered a feasible proposition."

Mr Mallon says his four-year-old son, Jordan, could have been killed last year when a reversing van nearly hit him.

"He was on his way to school in West Heslerton and was crossing the A64 at the traffic lights in Sherburn when it happened," he said.

"The van was parked on the pavement and started reversing - I only managed to pull Jordan out of the way just in time."

Petitioners made four suggestions they considered would improve safety for pedestrians.

They wanted zig-zag lines on the road surface to highlight the crossing, a sign pointing out the double yellow lines by the crossing, railings on both sides of the road and the 40 mph speed limit sign to be moved further out of the village to give motorists longer to slow down.

"I hope that the safety proposals are taken up by the area committee and that they work," said Mr Mallon.

"There is a great deal of support in the village for something to be done."

Updated: 11:08 Friday, January 11, 2002