New crossings to make street safer (From Worcester News)

New crossings to make street safer

7:40pm Wednesday 20th June 2012 in Worcester

A ROAD in Worcester will be a safer place for pedestrians when the installation of two zebra crossings is completed next month.

The end is in sight for a long-running campaign to place two crossings in St Peter’s Drive after Worc-estershire County Council contractors started the work near the road’s junctions with Grasshopper Avenue and Kingfisher Close this week.

It has been a real community project with involvement from St Peter’s Parish Council, Worcester City Council, Wychavon District Council and county councillors John Cairns and Rob Adams to raise £41,000 towards the final cost.

City councillor Roger Knight said: “Ever since I joined the parish council some 13 years ago, I have been trying to get some additional crossings on St Peter’s Drive. Until last year all crossings in Worcester had to be traffic light controlled. This of course made them a very expensive prospect and the accident record of this road was such that it was never a likely option to expect the county council to install them, leaving us with an impossible bill to meet.”

Jon Fraser, county council’s customer and community manager, said: “The county council is pleased that work to install two new pedestrian crossings on St Peters Drive is due to be completed at the end of July.

“With the support of a number of partners we have decided on crossing types that are both cost efficient and, most importantly, help provide a safe way for pedestrians to cross busy sections of road.”

In July last year the county council originally quoted more than £100,000 to complete the work before reducing it to £44,000 in September.

The final cost of the project is not yet available. Plans for the crossing can be viewed at the Worcestershire Hub Customer Service Centre in Farrier Street.