Member of Parliament for Thornbury and Yate, Luke Hall, has expressed his delight following the construction of safety barriers between Yate Shopping Centre and the new zebra crossing on Station Road.
Having led a community campaign on this issue, Luke had been liaising closely with both South Gloucestershire Council and the Management of Yate Shopping Centre with a view to implementing railings and barriers at this location.
Introduced earlier this year, the zebra crossing was a growing concern for many families in Yate. Overgrown hedges were found to be obstructing motorist’s view, whilst school children, cyclists and runners were able to approach the crossing at speed with little warning for drivers.
The zebra crossing is used frequently throughout the day by parents and children of the nearby primary school, plus residents and visitors attending the cinema and various restaurants in the shopping centre. After speaking with residents at his local public surgery in Yate, Luke was quick to contact the local authority, raising the dangers for both motorists and pedestrians.
Improved lighting was subsequently introduced at the crossing, soon after Luke’s contact with the Council, and nearby overgrowth was cut back to improve visibility. However the local MP has been committed to ensuring further measures were implemented, and has been continuing to press the Council’s transport services to consider barriers at this location.
The barriers have now been installed, and with darker evenings now upon us, the construction of the barriers is believed to have come just in time for the winter months ahead. Local residents have praised these measures, hoping that the high speed at which children and cyclists approached the crossing will now be deterred.
Luke Hall said: “As a local Yate resident I fully understood the community’s concerns about the risks and hazards at this site, and am pleased this further action has now been taken.” Luke said. “With a family of my own, I was eager to ensure that this potential hazard was urgently addressed.”
Mr Hall continued, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who got in touch about this issue, and for the support my campaign has received from local residents and particularly staff and parents at the Ridge Primary School.”
“My thanks also to South Gloucestershire Council and Andrew Lowrey at Yate Shopping Centre for working so quickly to install safety barriers at the crossing on Station Road”
Discussing these further measures, Yate Shopping Centre Manager Andrew Lowrey said “We have recently given permission to local schools to use the Riverside car park as a park stride point, safety is very important to us and therefore we are delighted that we were able to support South Glos Council and Luke Hall to ensure that improvements were made to the crossing”
This campaign is the latest initiative of the local MP to improve road safety in South Gloucestershire. Luke has asked for anyone with any concerns about road safety in their area to get in touch.