Progress is being made in a campaign to install a pedestrian crossing at a 'dangerous' junction near a school in Hucknall. Ashfield Independent Councillor Lee Waters has been working with parents of children at the nearby school, Hillside Primary and Nursery School, to call for new safety measures at the junction of St Patrick's Road and Wood Lane.
It comes after Councillor Waters, who represents Hucknall Central on Ashfield District Council, said there had been a number of 'near misses', while parents said that a 'lollipop lady' was no longer on hand to help.
Councillor Waters has since had confirmation from Nottinghamshire County Council, the local authority responsible for highway issues, that the request for a pedestrian crossing has been put forward for a feasibility study to be carried out, which would determine if the project is viable.
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Councillor Waters, who also represents Hucknall South on the county council, said: “I am pleased that the county council have finally listened to our collective voice. It is a victory for people power. The junction of Wood Street and St Patrick's Road is a nightmare for parents and pedestrians at the best of times.
"There have been a number of near misses, the school crossing patrol was axed and parents have told me it is an accident waiting to happen. We are now calling for the feasibility study to be done as soon as possible. I will then be pressing for the pedestrian crossing to be installed urgently. For us – this is a no brainer but we need action now."
An email he received from the county council read: “Your request for a pedestrian crossing on Wood Lane has been taken in to consideration. I am pleased to advise that this has been put forward for a feasibility study to be completed. Once we have the results of the study we will be able to advise further.”
Councillor Waters claimed that previous calls for a pedestrian crossing had been unsuccessful. Mum Alex Cotterill was among parents who said new measures were necessary. The 29-year-old from Hucknall said: "I’ve said it from the beginning, even with the lollipop ladies there’s still been near misses, they don’t stop it.
“I’ve been stood a good five minutes before we’ve been able to cross the road.” As a long-standing Hucknall resident, parent Sarah White, 34, said she was all too aware of the problems.
She said: “It definitely gets very hectic. We do have the council come and the traffic wardens sometimes. Sometimes it gets too busy. The lollipop lady needs to be back."
And pledging support for the pedestrian crossing, she added: "Something needs to be done.”
Another parent, who asked not to be named, said the news of the project progressing was a positive. They said: “This is great news for myself and the other parents who had also raised concerns regarding the road. Our fears are that someone will get hurt or worse if we are left to our own devices to cross this road each day with our children.
"We haven’t had a lollipop person since last year and there's been some difficulty in having one that is there for us regularly. Safety should be a priority and I'd hate for it to be an after-thought when the statistics have changed.”
Nottinghamshire Live has contacted the school and the county council for comment.
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