Residents demand pedestrian crossing after Barrs Road fatality

11:00am Thursday 21st February 2013 in News

Residents demand pedestrian crossing after Barrs Road fatality Residents demand pedestrian crossing after Barrs Road fatality

FURIOUS Cradley Heath residents are demanding a pedestrian crossing is installed in Barrs Road after the death of pensioner Bernard Betts.

For years Sandwell Council has resisted a full crossing citing the lack of fatalities but were due to build a pedestrian refuge further up the busy thoroughfare.

Barrs Road parent Louise Underhill is demanding Sandwell Council install a crossing after leading an unsuccessful campaign last year.

She said: “For forty years people have been calling for a crossing on Barrs Road and now is that someone has regrettably died, what are the council going to do?

“The council have been remiss before, claiming statistics, are they going to carry on hiding their heads in the sand or are they going to finally take residents concerns over the speed of vehicles on Barrs Road, seriously?”

She added: “The council agreed to put a crossing island outside number 81 Barrs Road, but that only helps people walking up from the bottom end of Barrs Road, the Codsall estate and the bottom end of Corngreaves Road.

“But what about children crossing from Trejon Road, or those walking from Haden Hill Leisure Centre and residents crossing Barrs Road to make their way into the park via Lee Road, as poor Mr Betts was doing on the night he was fatally injured.”

Cradley Heath and Old Hill councillor Ann Shackleton ordered the council to stop current plans to install the pedestrian refuge.

She said: “In the light of this tragic accident I have asked the council to put everything on hold and asked for a full investigation in what can be done on Barrs Road.

“We have always been told that Barrs Road did not fit the criteria for a pedestrian crossing because of a lack of fatalities, despite many near misses but this might change something.”

She added: “The proposed refuge would have done nothing to stop this accident but I think it is right that is also put on hold so officers can look at the whole road again.”

Mr Betts, aged 85, was involved in a hit and run accident around 6.20pm, Wednesday, January 16, police are urging anyone with information to phone 101.

Comments(1)

Mrs Dell says...
12:43pm Sun 3 Mar 13

My sister was killed outside our house opposite Valley Road junction 1974. Foxes Ridge didn't exist at that time and the children from Codsall used the drive at the side of our house as a short cut to Timbertree school. Parents had campaigned for a school crossing for many years and was told there was no need. The day after my sisters death a policemen was posted outside our house for a week to cross the children over to the school, as a temporary measure until a permanent Lollypop lady could be found. The council promised my parents then that they would provide a more formal crossing. All they did was to install some school crossing warning signs and lower the speed limit. The following year my friends sister was also run over just 100 yards further down the road. I think it is time they kept that promise, we have only been waiting 38 years. My grandmother still lives in that house and the children from my family are still having to cross that road and many of my school friends from that time still live in the neighbourhood and take their children to that school, crossing that road. I work for the authority and I fully understand the costs involved but there are already at least 3 lives lost to this road, what price can we put on them.

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