'There's a lot of close calls': Councillors call for new pedestrian crossing on dual carriageway in Peterborough

Councillors are calling for a new crossing on a dual carriageway in Peterborough.

Cllr Charles Fenner (Conservatives, Bretton) and Cllr Scott Warren (Conservatives, Bretton) are asking the council for a pedestrian crossing linking Pyhill and Adderley on Bretton Way.

There’s “definitely a need from a public safety perspective,” Cllr Fenner said.

Children cross the road to get to school, meet friends or visit the nearby Hollywood Bowl bowling alley, he added.

There are also vehicles that “speed down there,” Cllr Fenner said. “I’m a member of the local watch team and we regularly send vehicle registrations to police because of speeding.

“It’s a 40mph road and a lot of them do way more than that.”

Cllr Warren agrees that there are "a lot of close calls" on the road and that's concerned someone will lose their life.

But establishing a new crossing requires finding funding in Peterborough City Council’s (PCC) highways budget.

In fact, Cllr Fenner made the same suggestion a couple of years ago, but says he was told there wasn’t enough money.

With PCC’s finances now in better shape, though, he’s “taking another stab at it” as “residents have been asking for it for some time”.

A council spokesperson said that PCC still has “limited funding” for the numerous requests for new crossings it receives every year.

"We get a lot of requests for new crossings every year,” the spokesperson said.

“Due to limited funds, we review each request using a recommended method used nationwide. We consider factors like how many people walk or ride bikes across the road, as well as the number of vehicles.

“This helps us decide if a crossing is necessary or not. If it is, we'll explore ways to secure funding.”

Cllr Fenner and Cllr Warren led a site visit to Bretton Way as part of their campaign calling for a new crossing.

They were accompanied by Cllr Nigel Simons (Conservatives, Eye, Thorney and Newborough), who is the council’s cabinet member for infrastructure, environment and climate change, and James Collingridge, head of the council’s highways department.

At the road, there is a gap in the central reservation, Cllr Fenner says, and an underpass further down the road, but this becomes flooded in poor weather and its steepness isn’t suitable for mobility scooters.

“Even a zebra crossing would be better than nothing, but we want lights ideally,” he said.

Even during the visit, a truck sped past them at more than 40mph, Cllr Warren said.

This "shows how dangerous" the road is, he added, but said the council will now due its due diligence in establishing how busy the road is and how many people would use a crossing on it.

Cllr Simons has been contacted for comment.