‘Crazy’ crossings removed but could be making a return
THEY MAY BECOME A PERMANENT FEATURE
A “crazy” crossing painted in bright colours and attention seeking words has been removed – but it could return.
Pedestrians and motorists alike were left bemused by the garish crossing which appeared in Market Place/ Lowgate last month.
The road markings on Market Place have been commissioned by Hull City Council and use “behavioural science to ‘nudge’ more people to use them, and use them correctly.”
But the removal of the crossings is not a sign they have not worked as the council’s portfolio holder for transport and highways Councillor Dean Kirk explains.
He said: “The plan was always to trial the crossings for a period of a few weeks. The data is now being collected and will be processed by January and then we can determine whether they have been successful or not.”
The crossings were rolled out in Liverpool and Hull, two areas with pedestrian casualty rates among the highest in the UK.
The project has been delivered alongside behavioural science company So-mo and data company Agilysis, by Hull City Council in partnership with Liverpool City Council, which has been awarded £200,000 by the Road Safety Trust.
The crossing in Lowgate was installed just a few months after the sad death of Rebecca Kirby, who was hit by a car in the street on Friday, August 27.
A campaign has since been launched to pedestrianise part of Hull’s Old Town to keep people safe on Friday and Saturday nights out.
A Facebook page called Action for Lowgate has been set up by those close to Ms Kirby, which already has more than 100 followers.
Adrian Thompson posted on the page saying: “Action For Lowgate is a site put together to raise awareness of the dangers of pedestrians been hit by a vehicle.
“There has been several near misses and one fatality last month and enough is enough. We all need to get things sorted on this street and protect party goers on a weekend, which is the main thoroughfare of Hull.
“What we are proposing is a pedestrian road closures on a weekend from 10pm to 3am Friday to Sunday.
“We have had the heartbreak of losing someone special to us and we don’t want anyone else going through the pain we are suffering.
“Please help us and join our fight. After all the council has a duty to protect its citizens.”