Dangerous zebra crossing to be improved

Feb 10 2010 By Polly Manser

PLANS to improve safety at a zebra crossing in Beaconsfield where a man was thrown 15 feet sideways after being hit by a car last month are under way.

Councillor Bill Lydgate, cabinet member on South Buckinghamshire District Council, has since the accident on January 18 ordered a report into how to improve the crossing opposite the Saracens Head on on London Road. He is expecting recommendations 'fairly quickly'.

Improvements could include bollards to stop cars from parking on the corner of Aylesbury End, or even moving the crossing, he said.

However, he admitted that a £250,000 scheme to improve visibility at that corner that had been planned for this year has been put on hold due to lack of money.

And residents have reported another accident on the crossing – on Monday – although this could not be confirmed by police.

Cllr Lydgate, chair of the Environmental Policy Advisory Group which is likely to decide what action to take, following discussions with BCC, said that because a pedestrian had been injured it would be easier to justify spending money.

He said: "It's quite clear that people are parking all over the place and it shouldn't be allowed."

Any bollards would have to be removable, to allow fair trucks into town, as required under the town's charter.

Meanwhile, vans continued to park illegally on the corner this week, according to Beaconsfield Old Town Residents Association (BOTRA), which has long campaigned for improvements to the crossing.

Chairman John Brown urged the police to step up patrols in the area in order to crack down on illegal parking.

He said: "One wonders, what is considered to be the price of a life?"

Kate Power, wife of Richard Power who was hit on the zebra crossing, welcomed the news that improvements may be made.

She said: "That's fantastic news, brilliant, I hope it happens soon, because every day is a worry."

She said 256 people have now signed her petition.