A ZEBRA crossing planned for Tiverton is worrying residents. The new £45,000 crossing will be in Leat Street, near the the entrance to the Heathcoat factory.
It will become part of one of the primary walking routes for people heading to the Tiverton District Hospital, Tiverton High School and Petroc Community College.
Pedestrian safety issues along the road have been raised and a petition of 345 signatures has been presented to Mid Devon Highways and Traffic Orders Committee.
Work is expected to start in January and it is hoped the crossing will improve safety for vulnerable road users and promote safer walking routes to schools.
However, local councillors consulted are concerned about the location. Cllr Gerald Luxton said: "It should be the other side of the mini roundabout, nearer to The Shillands where children from Farleigh Meadows and Rackenford Road cross to go to school.
"There are also parked cars there and my worry is children will run out from behind them and get knocked down so it would be safer to have a crossing there.
"There is also an area there with steps and it is difficult for anyone with a pushchair or with mobility problems to get up and down, so a crossing slightly further down by The Shillands would be better."
Cllr Alan Griffiths added: "I expressed to Devon County Council when we made the site visit that I would have preferred it to be at the bottom of Longdrag Hill. This new crossing will mean people will have to go a long way round to cross over and I just can't see the schoolchildren doing that. They want to get to school and back by the shortest and quickest route.
"When the new development at Farleigh Meadows starts there could be on average another 600 children that need to use that crossing and more traffic in the area, too. I just don't think it will benefit the people of Rackenford Road."
David Whitton, head of highways at Devon County Council, said: "Alternative locations were considered but due to differences in ground levels and the visibility restrictions imposed by the roundabout, the closest and most convenient point of Leat Street was chosen."
↧