Petition for controlled crossing on 'danger' road in Upper Caldecote will be considered by council

The campaign is backed by nearly 500 signatures and was started by village mum Robyn Hardy, who felt that her young family were taking their lives in their hands to simply get to school.

The family, along with many others, say they sometimes face a ten-minute wait to cross Hitchin Road and that traffic is particularly bad – and drivers particularly impatient – when the A1 is closed and cars come flooding through.

Cllr John Baker, executive member for Highways at Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) said that the council is “aware of local concerns” and will consider the petition.

Describing her experience, Robyn claimed: "Some days it's fine, it's a bit dicey, and some days it's terrifying, depending on what the traffic is doing.

"You have people with very little regard for pedestrians and people using the space that's not the road.

"A driver will stop and wave you across, but then another will not see, and will try to nip past. When you have got a four or five-year-old on a scooter, that's terrifying. I've had to pull my sons back."

The "danger" road also impacts pupils who use its bus stops, as well as village residents crossing to use the convenience store and Post Office.

Villagers are also questioning why a controlled crossing has not been built before now, especially with the recent edition of two new estates in the village – Lapwing Drive and Skylark View.

Robyn added: "We are a really tight knit community – but you have to make sure that there is infrastructure that supports that community.

"If they are going to continue building more houses we have got to support that, and we have got to make sure that the village school is a safe space, a hub of the community, rather than a thundering thoroughfare of traffic."

The petition was open for six weeks and closed on August 14, having gained just shy of 500 signatures.

Councillor Paul Daniels, said: "As Upper Caldecote’s CBC ward councillor, I'm very pleased to see that 479 locals signed the e-petition for a controlled crossing on Hitchin Road – where I happen to live, so I'm keenly aware of the danger.

"We're so lucky no-one's been killed or badly hurt while we wait for a safe way to cross this busy road.

"It can't come a minute too soon, and there is Whitehall funding to support active travel projects like this, so Section 106 money isn't necessary.

"Only 100 signatures were needed to get the crossing on to CBC's Traffic Management Committee's next agenda which is on Tuesday, September 29, at 6.30pm.

"We ended up with almost five times as many. Thank you and well done to all the locals, and I'll be pushing to ensure the Caldecote Academy children get their safe route to school."

Cllr Baker said: "We appreciate the concerns raised through the petition, and are aware of local concerns.

"It [the petition] will be referred to our Traffic Management Meeting where it will be considered and responded to.”