The bid for a lighted pedestrian crossing on the notorious speeding blackspot of the A405 near the Woodside Leisure Complex has been turned down again by Hertfordshire County Council.
There’s been three bids to Hertfordshire County Council for a lighted pedestrian crossing over the last four years but all have been refused due to other priorities and funding issues.
The campaign to address the road safety matters along the A405 from the A41 to the junction with the A412 (St.Albans Rd) has been going on for decades.
A road safety report was commissioned by Kingswood Residents Association, funded by Hertfordshire Police Commissioner, to look specifically at the Greenwood Drive junction but was extended to the whole of this stretch.
The report, released last September, highlighted the accident blackspots on this stretch and confirmed that on all sections of this stretch that speed limits are not adhered to.
A petition led by local councillors Tim Williams and Steve Cavinder was organised in the autumn of 2016 and was presented to Hertfordshire County Council by Cllr Cavinder in February 2017.
This called for safety measures along this stretch of the A405 including an installation of a lighted pedestrian crossing outside the Woodside leisure complex. This was supported by over 700 signatures and letters from local schools.
Richard Wenham is a local resident and parent.
He said: “To cross here, particularly with children, is very dangerous so I fail to understand why Hertfordshire County Council are not prioritising with doing something here, let alone addressing the constant speeding and safety concerns of all residents living on the adjacent residential roads. I’m dismayed by this decision from Hertfordshire County Council.”
County Councillor Tim Williams he was bitterly disappointed.
He commented: “We really had hoped that with a large petition behind us and with a road safety report confirming that speeding is a serious issue that we were going to be successful with this bid. This roundabout/longabout is dangerous to cross and I don’t believe that there’s any other roundabout in Hertfordshire where pedestrians are encouraged to cross into the centre unaided by pedestrian lights.”
“On this stretch of road, the A405, there are some highway safety matters being addressed this year with a slight road realignment having taken place, and rumble strips to be repainted, but what we all want to see is serious road safety measures taking place along this stretch to slow the speed down. In the meantime we’ll again be calling on the police to attend more regularly especially as I understand that they are having a speeding crackdown presently.”
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