ePetition - Pedestrian Crossing at Weald Avenue on the Old Shoreham Road
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ePetition details
Pedestrian Crossing at Weald Avenue on the Old Shoreham Road
The Old Shoreham Road is an extremely busy road on which drivers
frequently exceed the speed limit. In recent weeks there have been
two serious traffic accidents on this road, one of which resulted
in a fatality and was only metres from the Weald Avenue /
Lullington Avenue junction.
There are crossings at both Sackville Road and Holmes Avenue,
however the Weald Avenue / Lullington Avenue junction is the main
crossing point for families walking north to Goldstone, Aldrington
and Blatchington Mill Schools and south to West Hove School.
Additionally there are numerous preschools and nurseries located
either to the north or south of this junction. The vast majority of
pedestrians accompanying children chose the Weald Avenue /
Lullington Avenue junction to cross the Old Shoreham Road as it
enables them to use Cramer Avenue, which is much quieter and safer
road than the Old Shoreham Road, to walk east or west. The Weald
Avenue / Lullington Avenue junction is used by large numbers of
secondary school children and people visiting the allotments
located to the north of Weald Avenue.
Due to the volume of traffic at peak times, it is extremely
difficult to find a sufficient gap in the traffic to complete the
crossing in a single trip, resulting in the need to pause in the
centre of the road at the bollards. The standing space at the
bollards is inadequate to ensure that pedestrians are safe when
waiting to cross the road. This is particularly dangerous for young
children, parents with more than one child or a pushchair and those
with mobility impairments. The degree of difficulty and level of
danger is exacerbated by the speed at which a significant
proportion of motorists drive and motorists rarely stop to allow
pedestrians to cross.
A pedestrian crossing at the Weald Avenue / Lullington Avenue
junction on the Old Shoreham Road pared with the existing crossing
to the north of Amhurst Crescent would create a slower pace of
traffic and provide a safe way for pedestrians to cross the road. A
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents study showed that at
20mph there was a 2.5% chance of pedestrians being fatally injured,
compared to a 20% chance at 30mph.
We have canvassed our local community and there is enormous support
for this proposal. We urge you to take action on this matter to
prevent further accidents on this section of the Old Shoreham
Road.
This ePetition ran from 06/10/2017 to 13/12/2017 and has now finished.
342 people signed this ePetition.
Council response
“This area of Old Shoreham Road also falls within the
Access Fund project boundary and as a result the School Travel Team
is working with a number of schools in the area to help better
understand the journey to school by looking at the barriers faced
with the journeys to school and to promote road safety and active
travel. The team are actively engaged with schools including;
Blatchington Mill Secondary School, Hove Park Lower Secondary
School, Aldrington Primary School, West Hove Infant School and Hove
Junior School. Work to assist and promote safe and active travel is
also being carried out with four nurseries in this area, either
side of Old Shoreham Road.
In accordance with the Council’s Policy on Pedestrian
Crossings, officers will include this request on the list for
formal assessment using the Pedestrian Crossing Assessment
Methodology. As part of this methodology all crossing requests
undergo an assessment to assist in prioritising limited funding to
those locations most in need. This assessment considers a number of
categories known to affect ones’ ability to cross the public
highway; such as road width, number of vehicles and pedestrians
using the road. The assessment also considers any previous related
accidents and if the requested crossing point could improve access
to services such as buses and GP surgeries or if it might improve
the safety on walking routes to schools.
Initial investigations were carried out at this location as part of
the Safer Routes to Schools programme, as part of these
investigations officers noted issues with limited space available
for a crossing facility particularly due to access requirements for
private driveways. These investigations however identified
potential opportunities to install a light controlled crossing
facility at the signals on Old Shoreham Road and St Joseph’s
Close junction.
Work is being undertaken to fully understand the potential costs
and the available budgets for this”.