Why these six Lostock Hall road crossings have been branded 'dangerous'

A Lostock Hall councillor is asking highways bosses to review six "dangerous" road crossings to help people cross safely.
Coun. Matthew Trafford, a Lostock Hall councillor, is asking highways bosses to review six "dangerous" road crossings, including the one outside The Wishing Well pub.Coun. Matthew Trafford, a Lostock Hall councillor, is asking highways bosses to review six "dangerous" road crossings, including the one outside The Wishing Well pub.
Coun. Matthew Trafford, a Lostock Hall councillor, is asking highways bosses to review six "dangerous" road crossings, including the one outside The Wishing Well pub.

Coun. Matthew Trafford is calling on Lancashire County Council to deal with three crossings in Tardy Gate, one at Lostock Hall Library in Watkin Lane, one at the end of Coote Lane and one outside The Wishing Well pub in Brownedge Road.

All six pose a danger to the public because they are either not entirely visible, do not bleep or do not give people enough time to cross, the councillor said.

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He added: "They are all unreliable and I'm surprised they've taken this long to be reviewed. It's not a criticism of Lancashire County Council staff as they work really hard under a lot of pressure. But it's a product of wider issues and lack of resources."

Puffin crossings, like this one pictured outside The Wishing Well pub inBrownedge Road, Lostock Hall, use intelligent sensors to detect when pedestrians are waiting and crossing.Puffin crossings, like this one pictured outside The Wishing Well pub inBrownedge Road, Lostock Hall, use intelligent sensors to detect when pedestrians are waiting and crossing.
Puffin crossings, like this one pictured outside The Wishing Well pub inBrownedge Road, Lostock Hall, use intelligent sensors to detect when pedestrians are waiting and crossing.

Puffin crossings use intelligent sensors to detect when pedestrians are waiting and crossing. They can extend how long traffic is held on red, stop drivers from moving until pedestrians have finished crossing and adapt to give people time to cross safely. They have also been created to allow partially sighted pedestrians to see the red/green man signals more easily than a signal on the other side of the road.

Traffic lights change to green as soon as the crossing is clear. This means drivers will no longer be stopped unnecessarily if there are no pedestrians on the road or if they push the button then change their mind and walk away from the crossing.

But Coun. Trafford added: "The one at The Wishing Well doesn't give people enough time to cross, especially for anyone who has mobility issues. It's an accident waiting to happen, especially for children, disabled people and OAPs."

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Resident Les Ellison, of Turner Avenue, is concerned about the safety of older pedestrians like his 84-year-old mother, who has just been registered blind.

He said: "A filter arrow is needed outside the SPAR shop, on the opposite side of Victoria Terrace. The lights are awful and the sequence is all wrong.

"And outside the Wishing Well, the green man flashes then turns to red before you are half way across. This is totally unacceptable for old people who are slower than us youngish ones. It needs sorting before someone is killed."

Coun. Trafford said Lancashire County Council pledged to review the crossings by July when he first reported the issue. He then reported it to cabinet member Coun. Keith Iddon after the crossings continued to cause confusion.

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But a spokesman for the council said: "We are not aware of any maintenance or safety issues with these crossings, however would ask people to use Report It on our website or call if there is a problem and we will investigate.

"When there are two or more crossings close together they cannot bleep for safety reasons as people may hear a bleep when it is not their turn to cross.

"The green man is timed to go out in order to stop new people from crossing the road, but those already on the crossing will still have time to cross before the signal changes."