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Mum pleads for more time at Marylebone crossing
A worried mother is campaigning to make a Marylebone pedestrian crossing safer.
Mum-of-two Olivia Williams, of Balcombe Street, believes people don't have enough time to use the staggered pedestrian crossing at the junction of Marylebone Road and Enford Street.
She has collected more than 150 signatures on a petition to increase the length of the crossing, which is close to St Mary's Bryanston Square CofE Primary School, in Enford Street, where her elder daughter is a pupil, and Little Elves Montessori, in Seymour Place, which her younger daughter attends.
"People have a choice, " said Ms Williams.
"Either they have to stand on the crowded and polluted central island for up to two minutes with children being edged closer and closer to traffic as the crowds become impatient for the lights to change, or start running at full pelt, trusting the concentration and generosity of rush hour drivers not to run them over.
"I've been using the crossing for six years, but it wasn't until I started doing the school run that I realised how treacherous it is", she said.
"Every morning I see people taking extraordinary risks with their own and their children's lives to try and get to school or to work."
Leader of the Labour group in Westminster, Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg added: "A simple extension to the time available to cross the busy Marylebone Road would make all the difference and give parents and their children longer to cross in safety.
"We have asked the director of transport to liaise with his colleagues at Transport for London to investigate whether this can be done."
A Transport for London (TfL) spokeswoman said the crossing meets the minimum guidelines of 1.2 metres per second, as advised by the Government's Department for Transport.
She added: "The staggered crossing layout helps to balance the needs of all road users on this busy junction.
"This crossing has seen no road accidents involving pedestrians in the past three years.
"TfL is committed to meeting the Mayor's aspiration to review all traffic signals in London in the next six years and TfL will continue to monitor the safety concerns of the public."
The petition was due to be handed in to Westminster Council on July 1.
A council spokeswoman said the council would be working closely with TfL, in connection with the crossing.
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As Chairman of Governors of St. Mary's School in Enford Street I certainly share Olivia Williams' crossing fears - indeed all of our Governors are very concerned since the majority of our children have to cross the Marylebone Road on their way to and from school.
Not only is there a problem with the length of time allowed for crossing, there is also a problem with the frequency of this facility and I wonder if it is possible for the lights to be adjusted so that the opportunity to cross occurs more frequently in, say, the half hour before school opens and the half hour after it finishes.
Thank you so much Marylebone Mercury! This crossing is well known to be very dangerous by local parents, staff and School Governors.My own child was in a near miss at this very crossing.Having tripped,I will never forget the sea of rush hour cars and lorries sprint towards her, as she lay on the road. She was lucky; I managed to scoop her up,just in time.With the lights set to the bare minimum time, she would otherwise have died.TFL need to act NOW, BEFORE another child becomes the road traffic accident statistic they would be wrong to wait for.
Dr Anna Monnickendam
School Governor
St Marylebone School
Enford St
Olivia Williams is 100% correct. The crossing is an accident waiting to happen. TFL's standard of 1.2 metres per second may well be fine for a fit adult walking on their own, but is insufficient for those pushing buggies / wheelchairs and or walking with toddlers or small children.
I used to cross the Marylebone Road with my daughter when she attended nursery at Lisson Green, and it was like an extreme sport trying to get her across without getting caught in the oncoming traffic.
Westmister Council and TFL must put the needs of families before those of motorists.