I have been trying hard to again attract interest to support a group of parents view that there is need to deliver a safer Amos Lane for parents and young children who want to cross Amos lane to walk to the Wodensfield School, The King George Playing Fields or visit the Village centre. It is not proving easy! However the campaign is still picking up support from the community and also attracting the Press and Media.There has been Media coverage the latest being in the Express and Star on the 3rd of March 2022.
Whilst the Highways bosses are still very much suggesting that the criteria falls short of the justification for a Zebra Crossing. There is the offer ” to commission new surveys to see if there has been any change in overall speeds” since the last ones were considered, and “whether we need to take any interventions.”
My view is that we should accept that offer from the highways team of a new survey.
The Authority remind me that I will be ” be aware, our Road Safety budgets are limited and so we must target our resources to those locations with the highest risks based on statistical evidence. In this case we would not currently be able to justify adding the request for a formal pedestrian crossing to our future schemes list in the 2022/23 Transportation Capital Programme.”
But now is not the time in my opinion – to give up now.
The Safety team tell me that they have ” also considered the possibility of introducing a central refuge on Amos Lane near to Bellamy Lane to assist pedestrians to cross Amos Lane as an alternative to a formal crossing; however the width of the carriageway precludes this as it would not leave sufficient width of running lane for vehicles to progress either side of the refuge. Consequently this is not an option I could consider.”
I am however inclined to ask the team to press ahead urgently with their suggestion that they should “ask my team to investigate the feasibility of installing “pedestrians crossing” warning signs on the approaches to the Amos Lane/Bellamy Lane junction to warn motorists that there may be pedestrians crossing the road.”
I really would like to encourage local residents to support me in these two offers by the Local Authority. Please let me have your views.
