6:00am Tuesday 9th March 2010
By Katy Islip
A WOMAN has called on Southend Council to improve safety for pedestrians after traffic islands on the A13 in Leigh were removed during roadworks.
Valerie George, of Braemar Crescent, Leigh, wants the council to ensure the islands, which were on the London Road, near Thames Drive, are replaced immediately.
She would also like to see a pedestrian crossing installed, allowing people to cross the road more easily.
The islands were taken out in October to allow National Grid to replace gas mains, with the proviso they were replaced once work finished.
However, they have not yet been replaced.
Mrs George, who is in her sixties, said: “There is no sign of them being reinstalled. You either have to walk down to cross the road at Thames Drive, or take your life in your hands and cross further up.”
Mrs George believes the lack of any central refuge in the busy road is putting pedestrians at risk, and would ideally like to see a proper crossing installed in the area.
She said: “For people with shopping or young mums with children it’s quite dangerous. A zebra crossing would be nice, but whether or not it would be possible I don’t know.”
The busy stretch between Hadleigh and Leigh has suffered congestion over recent months due to the gas works and roadworks at the Thames Drive junction.
Mrs George added: “If the council says a crossing would slow traffic down, it couldn’t be any worse than it already is. It just crawls.”
Mehmet Mazhar, Southend Council’s interim group manager for traffic and highways, said it was hoped the islands would be replaced soon, as the work had already been commissioned by National Grid.
He said: “We regret any inconvenience caused to our local community and will ensure the outstanding works are completed as soon as possible.
“The programme is now complete at these locations and we are liaising with the gas company to have the islands replaced as a matter of urgency.”
Mr Mazhar said assessment work would need to be done to determine whether a crossing would be suitable.
If this proved to be the case, he added, the scheme would have to be approved by the council before it could begin to compete for funding.
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