The bridge was last reviewed by the Surrey Health Local Committee in 2015, following a petition instigated by an incident involving a mother and child in a pram. they were hit by a car and the child was knocked out of the pram. Fortunately both with minor physical injuries.
The committee noted disappointment with the ensuing traffic report that considered options, but ultimately, whilst the danger was clearly acknowledged by all parties, removing overgrown vegetation was the extent of the solution. This was not the ‘creative and incremental’ solution we requested and expected.
8 years later, the issue has not gone away, it remains a danger, with frequent near-misses.
Pedestrians, cyclists and drivers who know the area, exercise great care in using the bridge. Those that don’t know the area so well, are those that create most danger and are at most risk.
In a corporate environment, it's the reporting of 'near misses’ that helps prevents accidents. Here, we need proactivity to avoid what local residents [and 455 petitioners in 2015] regard as an inevitable tragedy at some point in time.
The bridge sees heavy pedestrian usage around school hours from both directions ranging from the Crawley Ridge Nursery, Infant and Junior Schools to Collingwood College and 6th Form. It is also used as a general thoroughfare for dog walkers, cyclists and other pedestrians throughout the day due to its easy accessibility to the town centre and Barossa.
The bridge has significant danger factors: blind bends at each end; two way traffic with both sides filtered to the middle; no pedestrian-safe area; no pavement or lighting on the bridge; the central hump of the bridge is prone to black ice in the winter leading to loss of control of vehicle or footing; insufficient road signage & old markings; no change from the surrounding 30 mph zone traffic speed.
Started by: David Oakley
This ePetition ran from 06/02/2023 to 15/03/2023 and has now finished.
145 people signed this ePetition.