A state-of-the-art pedestrian crossing has been installed at a busy crossroads in Wirral to improve road safety.
The junction at Moreton Road/Old Greasby Road/Ford Road/Arrowe Park Road has been undergoing significant refurbishment. The improvement also includes the traffic lights which are over 30 years-old. After careful consideration and research, Wirral Council decided that an advanced diagonal pedestrian crossing would be beneficial to the safety of all road users.
The refurbishment will greatly improve safety at the junction for residents, pedestrians and particularly local school children.
Councillor Liz Grey, Wirral Council’s cabinet member for Environment and Climate Change commented, “A diagonal crossing at the junction in Upton will play a vital role in keeping children, attending the surrounding schools, including Upton Hall and St. Joseph’s as well as Overchurch Infants and Juniors, safe on their journey to and from school.
She added “As children reach secondary school, they can be more vulnerable. This is often when they learn to travel to school by themselves. This crossing along with other measures will help support them as they develop their independence.”
The benefits of this type of crossing mean that pedestrians can now safely cross two arms of the junction at once, providing a more efficient crossing system. The junction will provide safer crossing for young people from the surrounding schools, who need to reach their bus services and will also benefit other road users.
The diagonal crossing is the second introduced on Wirral, with only three across Merseyside. The first is located at Balls Road/Oxton Road/Woodchurch Road junction.
The new crossing in Upton will, however, be the first in the borough to feature a ‘countdown to red man’ timer. This pedestrian clearance feature warns pedestrians of the length of time they have left to cross safely.
Councillor Grey commented: “The funding, awarded from Liverpool City Region for the Combined Authority Integrated Transported Block for 2018-19, has enabled us to implement an advanced crossing that will feature a countdown timer to benefit the community with even safer crossing.”
Funding for this new crossing was awarded in support of the Liverpool City Region’s Transport Plan for Growth.
We advise residents, road users and parents of children at the surrounding schools to watch and share our short video on how to safely use the new crossing.
Things to remember when using a diagonal crossing:
- Press the button and wait for the green man to be displayed.
- When the green man is displayed for pedestrians, the traffic lights at the junction will be red for all traffic in all directions
- Pedestrians should not start to cross the road once the green man signal goes off
- Countdown timers tell pedestrians how long is left to complete crossing the junction before traffic starts to move again
- Remember to move away from the crossing once you have used it so that others can also cross the road safely
The first diagonal crossing was funded by the new developer of the Lidl store adjacent to the crossing at Balls Road/Oxton Road/ Woodchurch Road junction.
