?200k plan to revamp Stoke-on-Trent’s ‘unreliable’ pedestrian …

Worn-out pedestrian crossings across Stoke-on-Trent are being revamped as part of a £200,000 scheme. And the works to crossings on some of the busiest routes will see technology installed that can detect pedestrians in the road and give them longer to get to the other side.

In the first wave of improvements a total of 10 crossings in locations including going from Baddeley Green ^[1] to Normacot ^[2]. The city council say the facilities have reached their 20-year life expectancy and have become ‘unreliable and untidy’.

It is hoped the revamped crossings will also benefit visually impaired residents with ‘tactile cone’ being placed on every push button unit. The works have been welcomed by campaigners – who also say focus should also be put on pavements as part of efforts to improve safety.

READ: Car ‘fails to stop’ for police before smashing into railings | Two men and a woman have been arrested following the Joiners Square smash ^[3]

READ: Landlord demands £3k council compensation over ‘comical’ roadworks | The closure of Ash Bank Road, in Werrington, has cost The Red Cow £3k ^[4]

Crossings on busy roads such as Leek New Road through Baddeley Green ^[5], the A34 in Trent Vale ^[6] and London Road in Oakhill are among those getting the green light for an overhaul. Councillor Amjid Wazir, cabinet member for environment and enforcement, says the installation of LED lamps will also save cash in the long-term.

He said: “The pedestrian crossing upgrades are part of a city-wide programme to improve the safety and efficiency of pedestrian facilities in the city.

“The traffic signals we are removing have reached their 20-year life expectancy and have become unreliable and untidy.

“The new facilities benefit from full LED lamps, which offer significant energy savings and have a longer life-span than the halogen bulbs they have replaced, reducing the burden on the traffic signal maintenance budget.

Works on the pedestrian crossing in Bentilee

“We have also installed additional technology which can detect pedestrians in the road and extend the crossing time as required and, every push button unit has a tactile cone on the underside to allow visually impaired pedestrians to safely use the facility.”

The allocation for this year’s upgrades for the ten highlighted equates to around £20,000 per project. The council says they will all be completed in this financial year. StokeonTrentLive has previously reported ^[7] how one of those being done is the crossing on Beverley Drive in Bentilee next to Twigg Street.

Meanwhile Andy Day, president of North Staffordshire Pensioners’ Convention has welcomed the works. He said: “It’s an issue of great concern for the convention.

“When the lights start to flash the individual will feel they need to hurry up and we say that causes falls and people are putting themselves at risk. So we very much welcome these works.”

Andy is hoping the council will also put some focus on the city’s pavements too. He added: “We’d love to see improvements around pavements as people who struggle with walking or are on mobility scooters do struggle. There are issues with the condition of pavements and also you will sometimes find a dropped kerb on one side of the road and not the other.

“We also see issues when cars have parked on pavements and they have been left so narrow that mobility scooters are forced to go into the road.”

Ten crossings being improved

Fleming Road, Stoke ^[8];
Upper Normacot Road, Normacot ^[9],
London Road at the junction with Trent Valley Road, Oakhill;
Anchor Road at the junction with Mossfield Road, Adderley Green;
Birches Head Road at the junction with Widecombe Road, Birches Head ^[10];
Leek New Road near the Clive Avenue junction, Baddeley Green;
Campbell Road close to Boothen Old Road, Stoke;
Ford Green Road near Station Crescent, Smallthorne ^[11];
Stone Road close to Riverside Road, Trent Vale;
Beverley Drive by Twigg Street in Bentilee ^[12].

References

^{^} Baddeley Green (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Normacot (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Car ‘fails to stop’ for police before smashing into railings | Two men and a woman have been arrested following the Joiners Square smash (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Landlord demands £3k council compensation over ‘comical’ roadworks | The closure of Ash Bank Road, in Werrington, has cost The Red Cow £3k (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Baddeley Green (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Trent Vale (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} StokeonTrentLive has previously reported (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Stoke (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Normacot (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Birches Head (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Smallthorne (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Bentilee (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Sign up to our main daily newsletter here and get all the latest news straight to your inbox for FREE (data.reachplc.com)