A new crossing has been installed close to two schools in Waltham Abbey.
Tuesday (4 October) saw the switching-on of the new signal-controlled pedestrian crossing on Crooked Mile at the Abbey Gardens. School pupils from Waltham Holy Cross Primary School, who cross the busy road every day, came to be the first to use the new crossing.
Local councillors from both Essex County Council and Epping Forest District Council had requested the crossing, given the numbers of school children and local residents having to cross this busy road. The Epping Forest Local Highway Panel (LHP) carried out a feasibility study and agreed to site the crossing between Saxon Way and St Clements Court.
Due to the speed of the traffic coming off the roundabout and the width of the road, a two-stage crossing was built with a pedestrian refuge in the middle. The crossing was paid for through the Epping Forest LHP, which is funded by Essex County Council.
Essex County Councillor and LHP Chairman, John Knapman, said: “As Chairman of the Local Highways Panel, I am delighted that we found the funding for this particular crossing. It is a tribute to Cllr Jeane Lea and her fellow Waltham Abbey councillors who have fought hard and long for its installation.”
Chairman of Epping Forest District Council Cllr Jeane Lea, added: “I’m really pleased with our new crossing. The Highways team at Essex County Council have done a great job.
“It will be a great benefit to the pupils and parents from Waltham Holy Cross Infants School who will use this crossing to get to school. The crossing will also help residents in St Clements Court retirement homes and visitors to Waltham Abbeys Community Centre who use it to get to the Town Centre. The crossing should help to eliminate any accidents involving pedestrians due to the crossing being signal-controlled. This only works if drivers adhere to the design of the new crossing and don’t drive through it when they shouldn’t. If a driver does this while you’re crossing the road then you should look at sites like https://www.ckflaw.com/ to see if you could get compensation for any injuries.
“Local schemes like these make real safety improvements to Epping Forest roads and make Waltham Abbey a more attractive and safer place to live.”
Epping Forest District Councillors Ann Mitchell and Glynis Shiell, were also in attendance to mark the switch-on at the crossing.
The crossing is fully working, with a new road surface. Engineers will return shortly to put an anti-skid coating on the surface on the approaches to the crossing.
