TREES and car parking were chosen to line a new Poole town centre road over safety for pedestrians, it has been claimed.
The blame for a lack of a pedestrian crossing in the new Marston Road gyratory system has been laid firmly at the door of councillors.
“You chose trees and parking on that street with the sum of money, as opposed to a pedestrian crossing,” said Andy Ward, of New Masterplanning, who helped with a critical report by independent expert witness Phil Jones, into the road system that feeds the two bridges.
He was addressing Julian McLaughlin, head of transportation services, who was under pressure for his department’s role in the nearly £1million road system and who pointed out there had been limited money available.
“It’s a balance. Members made that choice,” Mr McLaughlin told a Borough of Poole select committee reviewing the road system, which was slammed by the report as providing a “poor” environment for walkers and cyclists. After the £30,000 review was underway an accident took place on the gyratory system on October 27 when retired architect John Fletcher, 77, was seriously injured when struck by a car while crossing West Street.
Stephen Thorne, head of planning and regeneration, and Mr McLaughlin were criticised for a lack of “joined up” thinking and both said they had improved their units working together.
Asked by Cllr Vikki Slade how it was that the planning application for the road scheme in March 2011 had only taken three weeks from registration to consent, Mr Thorne said there had been a lot of pre-application work and Mr McLaughlin said: “It wasn’t a rush job.”
Cllr Karen Rampton said: “This scheme doesn’t take everybody’s needs into account.”
Mr McLaughlin pointed out that the road system was incomplete and phase two included a new Hunger Hill junction but told the economy overview and scrutiny committee’s hearing that there was no council budget available for phase two.
* After a two-day hearing in which councillors heard from residents of the dangers of trying to cross the roads on foot, or cycle around the gyratory, poorly sited message signals and other concerns, they came up with a list of proposals.
The committee felt the public had real safety concerns about the traffic system and asked officers to put together an urgent action plan.
Bill Constance, chairman of Poole Old Town Conservation Group, said a lot of positive things had come out of the hearing and hoped residents who gave evidence would be asked to contribute to a solution, adding: “We need them to right what is a very, very big wrong.”
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