Blow for campaign to get crossing on danger road

By cmiller

A WOMAN who has spent three years campaigning for a controlled crossing on a busy Sevenoaks road is furious after the authorities indicated it would be turned down.

Kent Highway Services has now cancelled a survey it promised to carry out in June on the A25 between Grove Road and Mill Pond Close.

The date had already been pushed back twice.

"How many more people do they want to see injured or killed before they do something about it?" fumed Barbera Rizza, of Mill Pond Close.

No news

"We have had no news back from them – I have sent dozens of emails and most are being met with silence.

"They need to answer our questions."

Mrs Rizza, who has an eight-year-old son, started a campaign three years ago to bring slower speeds to traffic on a section of road near Wildernesse School. Five people have died there over the past 10 years.

The battling mum has also been pushing for a traffic-light-controlled crossing.

Highway service transport development manager for Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells Alan Ash took responsibility for organising the survey in June.

But he has now said it would be unlikely for a pedestrian crossing to be built on that part of the road, because of poor visibility.

Mr Ash told the Chronicle he had referred the issue to the highways services annual crash remedial site meeting, which is scheduled to take place before November.

The matter will then be added to a list of issues across the district dealt with in order of priority, before funding can be found.

Mr Ash claimed he wanted to move on from the data-collecting stage of a survey, so the issue could be addressed with action. But 'moving on' effectively means abandoning the survey entirely.

He explained: "This little issue needs to compete with all the others.

"Because it involved pedestrians and cyclists, it is likely to be given priority, but if we do something , which we want to do, we have to find what would be the best option, and that takes time."

Mrs Rizza is unconvinced by this response. She believes the issue is not being taken seriously enough, and said without up-to-date facts the highway services would not have an adequate grasp of the area's needs.

"I strongly contest what they are saying," she said.

"If you are doing 30mph, you would clearly see a crossing at the Mill Pond from both ends.

"The last survey took place two years ago, during the summer holidays and that is not an adequate reflection of how many children are normally around.

"County Hall needs an up-to-date survey and to meet with the residents' association and answer our questions, rather than just fobbing us off."