Many are calling for a crossing for pedestrians on Village Way, a busy road in Beckenham.
Village Way is arguably one of the central roads in Beckenham, leading to various parks and branching off to many other residential roads. However, there is currently no crossing on the busy road, and many are highlighting the urgent need for one.
The secondary school Harris Academy Beckenham is also accessible by crossing Village Way, and many parents and carers of students at the school feel that their children are unsafe as they have to cross the road unsupervised and with no delegated crossing points to ensure their protection. There have been several near misses of students involved in car or bike accidents recently, as winter weather such as ice and snow made the road even more dangerous. Driver related incidents increase by 20% in winter, according to Insure The Box.
A petition was also started in November 2017 by Bromley Liberal Democrats in an attempt to show the council how urgently a crossing is needed. This came after a motorcyclist was killed in an accident on the road, and followed a protest by over 50 people, demanding the council reassess safety measures on the road. However, other safety measures aimed to decrease the risk of any accidents occurring have also been mentioned, such as lowering the speed limit from 30MpH to 20MpH, or allocating a lollipop lady to certain parts of the road, particularly near the school.
Although a crossing is yet to be installed, the passion of the people campaigning for the reassessment of the safety of Village Way has not gone unnoticed, and it is likely that action is soon to be taken.
