50 signatures reached
To: Nottingham City Council
Make the notorious Beck Street crossing safe for pedestrians
We want the pedestrian crossing on Beck Street in Nottingham, "the city's most dangerous crossing" made safe.
The Council's current position is that there is nothing more they can do. The current position for pedestrians however, is they must contend with vehicles illegally turning right through the majority of green man signals at this pedestrian crossing.
It cannot be impossible to make the most dangerous crossing in Nottingham safe.
The Council's current position is that there is nothing more they can do. The current position for pedestrians however, is they must contend with vehicles illegally turning right through the majority of green man signals at this pedestrian crossing.
It cannot be impossible to make the most dangerous crossing in Nottingham safe.
Why is this important?
For staff and frequent visitors in nearby buildings, it has been well-known for years that the green man signal here is dangerously misrepresentative.
However, to those pedestrians unfamiliar with this crossing, to children, to people with health conditions and impairments, and to the elderly - being able to place trust in the safety of a green man signal is vital.
We have been raising this issue with the Road Safety department at the City Council, Cllr Jon Collins who's ward the crossing is in, and Nottinghamshire Police who are responsible for enforcement (but not road safety design itself) over several years now.
Drivers making this turn are paying attention only to the two oncoming lanes of traffic. On accelerating into a gap in the traffic they are upon the pedestrian crossing immediately since it runs immediately alongside Huntingdon Street. If they see a pedestrian on the crossing at this stage, stopping means halting sideways on in two lanes of on-coming traffic.
In June 2018 I was hit by a car making this illegal turn on the crossing, with green man on. The accident could easily have been much worse. Next time, it may well be. Drivers are able to make this illegal manoeuvre with impunity, and it is a fatal accident waiting to happen.
In September 2018 footfall across this junction will increase several times over, with the opening of a second university building across the junction, splitting NTU's Confetti Campus across Beck Street - resulting in hundreds more pedestrian journeys over this lethal crossing daily.
The Council are well aware of this issue and have chosen in their statement in June 2018 to prioritise the potential inconvenience to traffic over the safety of pedestrians. "Options for making changes at this junction would unfortunately lead to traffic congestion and delays" said Nottingham City Council on 26 June.
This position is no longer (nor has even been) acceptable and we ask for an immediate reassessment of pedestrian safety at the junction and measures to solve the problem of traffic persistently turning right through a green man signal.
References:
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/death-dangerous-city-centre-crossing-1738515#ICID=sharebar_facebook
https://nottstv.com/programme/meet-the-locals-campaigning-for-better-signage-at-one-nottingham-junction-26-06-18/
*Photo by Angela Ward of the Nottingham Post.
However, to those pedestrians unfamiliar with this crossing, to children, to people with health conditions and impairments, and to the elderly - being able to place trust in the safety of a green man signal is vital.
We have been raising this issue with the Road Safety department at the City Council, Cllr Jon Collins who's ward the crossing is in, and Nottinghamshire Police who are responsible for enforcement (but not road safety design itself) over several years now.
Drivers making this turn are paying attention only to the two oncoming lanes of traffic. On accelerating into a gap in the traffic they are upon the pedestrian crossing immediately since it runs immediately alongside Huntingdon Street. If they see a pedestrian on the crossing at this stage, stopping means halting sideways on in two lanes of on-coming traffic.
In June 2018 I was hit by a car making this illegal turn on the crossing, with green man on. The accident could easily have been much worse. Next time, it may well be. Drivers are able to make this illegal manoeuvre with impunity, and it is a fatal accident waiting to happen.
In September 2018 footfall across this junction will increase several times over, with the opening of a second university building across the junction, splitting NTU's Confetti Campus across Beck Street - resulting in hundreds more pedestrian journeys over this lethal crossing daily.
The Council are well aware of this issue and have chosen in their statement in June 2018 to prioritise the potential inconvenience to traffic over the safety of pedestrians. "Options for making changes at this junction would unfortunately lead to traffic congestion and delays" said Nottingham City Council on 26 June.
This position is no longer (nor has even been) acceptable and we ask for an immediate reassessment of pedestrian safety at the junction and measures to solve the problem of traffic persistently turning right through a green man signal.
References:
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/death-dangerous-city-centre-crossing-1738515#ICID=sharebar_facebook
https://nottstv.com/programme/meet-the-locals-campaigning-for-better-signage-at-one-nottingham-junction-26-06-18/
*Photo by Angela Ward of the Nottingham Post.
