Bromley Cross: Safety concerns after new zebra crossing

The crossing was put in place on Chapeltown Road, close to Holkar Meadows and Eagley Junior School, a few months ago.

The council fitted the controlled crossing to make it safer for pedestrians to cross the road.

But Nick Kernick, who lives in the area, says that he has seen at least one "near miss" and says that the visibility of the crossing is poor.

He does not believe it is a good location for this crossing due to it being on a "blind bend".

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Nick said: “If you do 30 miles an hour it’s alright, but most people down that hill [near the crossing] do more than 30.

“Not everybody keeps to the speed limit, and they might not see someone at the crossing because it’s very hard to see them until the last minute.

“It could cause an accident, especially with kids close by.

“They need to ensure that the visibility is better than it is at the moment.

“I saw a car that went straight through the crossing when kids were waiting to cross.

“It won’t be long before someone gets knocked over if it stays the same, and I think it’s quite concerning.”

The council has said that visibility forms part of the design process, which they assessed, and found that both approaches to the crossing, were "well beyond the minimum recommended for a zebra crossing".

Cllr Nadim Muslim says that he understands residents have concerns, and he will feed them back to the council.

However, he also explained that when a decision is made to install a crossing there is a strict criteria that the council has to follow.

Cllr Muslim also says that if the bushes get too high and are affecting the visibility, residents can be asked by the council to cut them back.

He added that as well as the road markings and lights, there is a new sign alerting drivers to the crossing ahead, and it is the driver’s responsibility to be aware of this.

Although Cllr Muslim has seen drivers in the borough ignoring crossings, when it comes to this crossing, he says Greater Manchester Police reported that they have seen drivers slowing down and that people have become more aware of the crossing.

Cllr Muslim said: “I appreciate that people do have concerns, and I will feed back concerns to the council.

“The council only ever put crossings in place if it is safe and visible.

“They have quite a strict criteria they follow.

“Unfortunately, they can’t plan for dangerous drivers who are speeding and refuse to slow down.

“I have seen drivers in Bolton ignoring crossings even if people are coming up to them.

“If there is anything we can do from a civil engineering point of view, I am sure we can talk to the council.”

In response, a council spokesperson said: “The council have assessed that due to the number of pedestrian movements in the area, the introduction of a controlled crossing at this location will better enable pedestrians to cross the road safely.

“Visibility forms part of the design process and we assessed that both approaches to the crossing are well beyond the minimum recommended for a zebra crossing.

“Zebra crossings utilise signs, road markings and illuminated poles and flashing Belisha beacons to show their presence and we remind drivers to take care on the roads and travel at an appropriate speed, so that they can stop safely.

“We also remind pedestrians to wait until traffic has stopped or the road is clear before starting to cross at any crossing.” 

If you have a story and something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at jasmine.jackson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @JournoJasmine.