New zebra crossing ‘not needed’ on road where residents fear for safety
CALLS for a new Grimsby zebra crossing look likely to be turned down and the lead campaigner for it has questioned whether residents’ safety is a council priority.
A petition with 1,260 signatures organised by Barry Everett and his wife Sylvia was presented to North East Lincolnshire Council at a full council meeting in March.
It called for a zebra crossing in St Nicholas Drive, along the stretch of road between the Jubilee Inn and a path going to Timberley Drive. Seven months on and council officers have recommended no action be taken as data does not support the need for a crossing. Mr Everett has criticised the length of time taken since he presented the petition and suggested it showed the council did not prioritise residents’ safety. The council has rejected this opinion, however.
A council spokesperson said the public’s safety is “of the most utmost importance”, but there was no evidence of road safety issues at St Nicholas Drive.
Elsewhere in Freshney Ward, work is taking place overnight this week at an existing parallel crossing in Great Coates Road to address safety concerns there.
In a letter to Grimsby Live shortly before the recommendation of no action was published, Mr Everett criticised the seven-month wait for a St Nicholas Drive decision. “The answer to our petition will be given on October 23, seven months after our plea for what is something affecting the safety of the residents and others which is paramount to us.
“It would seem to me that the safety of our residents does not seem to be a priority for the council.” He feared the decision would be “a big negative” to calls for a crossing “as we seem to have a cash-strapped council”.
Mr Everett will speak of the “urgent need” for a crossing at the
October 23 meeting at 10.30am at Grimsby Town Hall, where a decision will be made whether to follow the officers’ recommendation. A council spokesperson said: “The council considers the safety of the public is of the utmost importance. A safety assessment of the St Nicholas site has been completed and there is no evidence of speeding or road safety issues at this location. However, this will be heard at the portfolio holder meeting on Monday, October 23, to determine a resolution to the petition.”
The report recommending no action is taken, except further monitoring, states Humberside Police data shows no collisions in the St Nicholas Drive section in the past five years.
Data collected over a week on site found vehicle speeds were generally well below the 30mph speed limit. The number of pedestrians crossing the road, 49 between 9am and 3pm on the higher of two count days, who would benefit was viewed as “very low”. A crossing point is consequently viewed as “unlikely to offer good value for money”.
Great Coates Road crossing to get improvements
A parallel crossing – a zebra with two designated cycle lanes – at Great Coates Road close to St Michael’s Church will be getting improvements, however. This follows safety concerns expressed by councillors and residents.
The parallel crossing was installed last year to improve accessibility in place of a crossing with an island between the two lanes. Independents for North East
Lincolnshire councillors raised concerns both about visibility and that the narrow footpaths either side were leading to driver uncertainty over whether people were crossing or not.
There had been two collisions near the crossing and Cllr Steve Holland himself had a near-miss when walking.
The independents met with Cllr Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for environment and transport, last week about it.
Cllr Lyndsey Downes reported “he has confirmed that there will be some safety upgrades such as extension of the zig zags and cutting back of shrubs. Also, at the request of our group, barriers to stop people flying out without being seen.” The latter, she explained, was because it is a straight line from
Freshney paths to the crossing, so they are not seen easily.
Cllr Downes added they were told Environment Agency sign-off was required for the St Michael’s Church side, which it owned. Works are now taking place overnight this week. A North East Lincolnshire Council spokesperson said: “We are undertaking some minor improvements of the lining on Great Coates Road this week which will extend the current zigzags.
“Additional measures are being developed which will introduce staggered barriers on either side of the crossing to encourage cyclists to slow down before crossing.
“We would like to remind drivers that they should give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings and that they must give way to anyone already on the zebra crossing.”