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‘Shoppers need safe crossing’

1:44pm Monday 11th January 2010 in News By Jen Rivett

Brigitte Hickman with some unhappy shoppers Brigitte Hickman with some unhappy shoppers

WITNEY organisations have called for the replacement of a pedestrian crossing which was removed during roadworks.

Brigitte Hickman, of Witney’s Living Streets group, has led the way in asking Oxfordshire County Council for a replacement for the crossing, which was originally outside the Nuffield Health Centre, in Welch Way.

Mrs Hickman and other protesters are due to meet with county council officers in February to discuss the problem.

The 43-year-old, of Farmers Close, said: “Now that the crossing has been removed, people have to wait along this busy street to cross the road to get to the shops in Marriotts Walk “Anyone standing at the site of the absent crossing for a few moments will see the number of near-misses. It is just a matter of time before someone gets injured.”

County Hall spokesman, Marcus Mabberley, said the crossing was removed as part of the Marriotts Walk development.

He said: “The previous pedestrian crossing was altered as part of the associated improvement works for the Marriotts Walk development.

“The amount of traffic using Welch Way is higher than was estimated when the decision was taken to alter the pedestrian crossing facility.”

He added the road was being monitored, and would be assessed as part of a road safety report once the Marriotts Walk development has been fully completed.

Richard MacKenzie, from Sustainable Witney, said: “If we want to work towards lower carbon emissions in the town, we will need to encourage more walking and cycling in Witney.

“Unfortunately at the moment, without safe places to cross over Welch Way, our local government is failing our pedestrians.

“Surely we don’t have to wait for someone to be killed or injured before someone takes action?”

Sustainable Witney has called for a zebra crossing to be installed at the same point where the pedestrian crossing was.

The £50m Marriotts Walk centre opened in October. However, the final stages of building work will not be completed until March.

Comments(17)

Andy_Witney says...
2:28pm Mon 11 Jan 10

WODC really did make a mistake when they did not re-instate the crossing on Welch Way. It is staggering that they did not think a crossing was necessary at the entrance to Marriotts Walk. Although it is easy to cross the road just using basic common sense, what thought has been given to the elderly or those with young children?

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Green123 says...
10:02pm Mon 11 Jan 10

Oh... I sort of assumed the removal of the crossing was temporary and it would be put back as soon as Marriots Walk was completed ie that it would be back by the spring. Big mistake to forget about pedestrians in a town already littered with too many cars!

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sexybabe33 says...
9:12am Tue 12 Jan 10

One night last week i was driving down there, doing 30mph - the speed limited, and a group of teenage boys just walked out infront of my car! I had to slam my breaks on & beeped my horn and them only for them to turn around and stick their fingers up at me! Pedestrians are just impatient. Those boys could of easily waited 5 seconds for me to pass them. I don't see the need for another pedestrian crossing, people need to walk 100yards up the road and theres one there! Lazyness.

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Richard MacKenzie says...
9:28am Tue 12 Jan 10

sexybabe33 wrote:
One night last week i was driving down there, doing 30mph - the speed limited, and a group of teenage boys just walked out infront of my car! I had to slam my breaks on & beeped my horn and them only for them to turn around and stick their fingers up at me! Pedestrians are just impatient. Those boys could of easily waited 5 seconds for me to pass them. I don't see the need for another pedestrian crossing, people need to walk 100yards up the road and theres one there! Lazyness.
Maybe it's the car drivers that are impatient?

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sexybabe33 says...
9:38am Tue 12 Jan 10

Richard MacKenzie - 1. If you read my comment you would of seen it was at NIGHT so not many other cars about. 2. They would of seen my headlights And 3. They would of heard my car. I wasn't doing anything wrong, i wasn't driving fast or driving like some idiots do. So as i said, Pedestrians are impatient and lazy!

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maxy2 says...
11:45am Tue 12 Jan 10

Does anyone else think it's strange that the council is suprised by the amount of traffic in Welch Way?

If there was a need for a crossing previously surely with a new Shopping Centre there would be even more traffic and people wishing to cross the road.

It appears that in spite of assurances that Marriotts Walk would be good for the rest of the town, the plan for the new shopping centre was for people to drive to the shopping centre, shop & then go home and not spend time (& money) elsewhere in the town.

Come on start planning to support pedestrians & people using public transport. The councils love affair with cars is considerably damaging our town.

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maxy2 says...
11:45am Tue 12 Jan 10

Does anyone else think it's strange that the council is suprised by the amount of traffic in Welch Way?

If there was a need for a crossing previously surely with a new Shopping Centre there would be even more traffic and people wishing to cross the road.

It appears that in spite of assurances that Marriotts Walk would be good for the rest of the town, the plan for the new shopping centre was for people to drive to the shopping centre, shop & then go home and not spend time (& money) elsewhere in the town.

Come on start planning to support pedestrians & people using public transport. The councils love affair with cars is considerably damaging our town.

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maxy2 says...
11:56am Tue 12 Jan 10

"Pedestrians impatient and lazy" - an interesting observation by a car driver!!

The layout of the road is very dangerous - no kerbs to speak of. The ruts in the newly laid turf speak for themselves. Even with a new crossing it's only a matter of time before a car goes off the road & injures a passerby.

Maybe Sexybabe33 has got the right idea - it will be safer to be the one in the car rather than pedestrian walking down Welch Way!

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sexybabe33 says...
12:14pm Tue 12 Jan 10

maxy2 wrote:
"Pedestrians impatient and lazy" - an interesting observation by a car driver!! The layout of the road is very dangerous - no kerbs to speak of. The ruts in the newly laid turf speak for themselves. Even with a new crossing it's only a matter of time before a car goes off the road & injures a passerby. Maybe Sexybabe33 has got the right idea - it will be safer to be the one in the car rather than pedestrian walking down Welch Way!
For your information, i was actually on my way home from my second job after already spending 8hrs working my first job so how can you say i am the one who is lazy??? & i'm sure if i had hit one of those impatient teenagers then it would have been my fault for not being able to stop in time, even though it was them who walked out infront of my car,

There already is a pedestrian crossing down by the traffic lights & an island crossing up by the round about. So why do we need to waste more of our hard earned taxes on yet ANOTHER crossing for the lazy & impatient pedestrian???

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woxon_resident says...
12:23pm Tue 12 Jan 10

I was surprised when I saw there was no crossing at the new shopping centre, but assumed that they were experimenting with "shared space", since the boundary between the road and pavement had been blurred somewhat. Drivers would drive slowly and automatically know to give way to pedestrians crossing the road, and pedestrians would use the relevant amount of common sense when doing so. However it seems that the amount of traffic using this road, and the attitude of most drivers means that Witney is not yet ready for schemes such as this. As for suggesting that pedestians are lazy for wanting to cross the road in front of the new flagship development - that's patently ridiculous!

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Englishman says...
11:49am Wed 13 Jan 10

As both a pedestrian and driver I am always amazed at the amount of people who cross the High Street in front of moving vehicles less than 50 yds from a traffic light controlled crossing. Then also there are those mindless individuals who think that the humps by the Market Square automatically give them a right to walk out in front of vehicles forcing them to stop. On the other hand we have drivers who are so impatient that they totally ignore signs altogether like those that say quite clearly NO ENTRY to the one hour car park at Waitrose or park their cars as near to school gates or shops as they can get without any regard for other road users. What about those who are too lazy to park in their drive and instead block pavements. So folks it cuts both ways and will always be a case of 'I will do what I and sod anyone else.

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maxy2 says...
4:47pm Wed 13 Jan 10

I've always been a bit confused about what the humps in Market Square/High Street are all about.

They can be a bit confusing for pedestrians/car drivers alike.

Can anyone enlighten me?

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Richard MacKenzie says...
10:31pm Wed 13 Jan 10

Walkers = lazy? Not sure the maths add up.

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AngelB says...
7:19am Fri 15 Jan 10

Sexybabe33. I have to submit my support of your comments. The same thing has happened to me on numerous occasions from day one of the centre openeing.

For some reason pedestrians seem to think the road is pedestrians only/priority, maybe due to the strange raised road surface.

People will just step right in front of your moving vehicle, one kicked at my car when I had to come to an emergency stop to avoid running him over!

Hoards of people just cross wherever they happen to be standing which makes life for drivers very difficult.

A crossing is needed - I'm a pedestrian too when I am wandering around the shops - and I assumed one would be installed though not a zebra as traffic will be at a permanent stop.

Generally the roads in Witney need a good revamp, one just cant get about by car and getting out of Witney - a journey of only around a mile - takes me some 15 minutes these days.

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maxy2 says...
4:12pm Fri 15 Jan 10

AngelaB - journey of about 1 mile takes you 15 mins by car - sounds to me as if you'd be better of joining that band of jay-walking pedestrians!

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Garryh92 says...
5:07pm Thu 21 Jan 10

maxy2 wrote:
I've always been a bit confused about what the humps in Market Square/High Street are all about. They can be a bit confusing for pedestrians/car drivers alike. Can anyone enlighten me?
I was always believed that these are courtesy crossings, I.E. pedestrians & drivers work together. If pedestrians are waiting I will normally let them cross!

Regadng the marriots shopping centre I was surprisedthe crossing was never reinstated, But I suppose if it is people will still wander across the road anywhere they like as stated earlier!

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AngelB says...
6:00pm Thu 21 Jan 10

maxy2 wrote:
AngelaB - journey of about 1 mile takes you 15 mins by car - sounds to me as if you'd be better of joining that band of jay-walking pedestrians!
Just to clarify, my journey out of Witney enables me to get to work at Abingdon . . rather a long walk! If I'm going into Witney I do walk, hence I am both a driver and pedestrian!

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