PLANS to make a road crossing safer have been dismissed as a “tick box” solution that would waste public money.
Upper Hollingdean Road in Brighton was originally listed as fourth highest priority by Brighton and Hove City Council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee last November.
But the changes have been slammed by one group which said the plans are “ill-thought-out” despite the council’s bid to make some of the most dangerous crossings in the city safer.
Chris Todd, planning and transport campaigner for Brighton and Hove Friends of the Earth (BHFOE), called for a zebra crossing in Upper Hollingdean Road rather than the enlargement of the current central island.
He said: “Given pressures on funding, the council needs to focus on changes that make a real difference. Not ones that tick a box to say they’ve done something.
“The current crossing designs are ill-thought-out and not fit for purpose.
“Hollingdean deserves better and should not be fobbed off with these rubbish proposals. Once built we will be stuck with these second-class solutions, as we are at The Dip.
“We’re calling on the council to consult locally and to put a Zebra crossing on Upper Hollingdean Road.
“This would be a big improvement and worth investing in. Just fiddling with what’s already there doesn’t really cut it. It would be a waste of public money.”
The group wants a zebra crossing so people can cross the road in one go rather than having to wait on the central reservation.
BHFOE said the crossing is “important for people walking into the city centre and for parents and children going to Downs Infant School”.
The council has been drafting plans for several improvements to crossings in the city since agreeing which are the dangerous areas last November, including an accident blackspot at a mini roundabout in Goldstone Villas, Hove.
Above the Hollingdean crossing as a priority are the South Arm roundabout in Hangleton, the junction at Goldstone Villas in Hove, as well as the London Road and The Deneway crossing.
The Upper Hollingdean Road works are being funded by the council’s local transport plan and sustainability and carbon reduction investment fund (SCRIF).
The council was approached for comment but did not respond in time.
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