RESIDENTS on a Shear Brow street are calling on Blackburn with Darwen Council to install a zebra crossing, amid concerns over road safety.

Parents said children are turning up late to school because it takes them so long to cross East Park Road, and fears for the safety of people who live nearby are growing, as cars are regularly travelling along the road at high speeds.

In February, homes in East Park Road were evacuated after a car being pursued by police smashed into a wall, hit a gas main and caused a major leak, and a wall was damaged in another crash just weeks ago.

Community leader Hussain Akhtar said: “I’m worried, I’m appealing for them to do something.

“Parents have been waiting for a very long time to cross, children are being late to school because they have to wait a long time to cross.

“People cross the road a lot, to get to work, to get to the shopping centre. We’re not going to wait for someone to die there before they do anything.

“They go like Knight Rider down the road, it’s not safe for children.

“There have been two accidents in the last month. We’re just glad no children were there at the time.”

Lancashire Telegraph:

Mr Akhtar said there was no crossing on East Park Road, but residents have suggested several suitable locations for one.

Simon Butt, head of Highways for Blackburn with Darwen Council, said “We are not aware of any requests received for a pedestrian crossing facility on East Park Road.

“If we were made aware of specific locations of concern on East Park Road, a pedestrian count and traffic survey would need to be undertaken to see if a pedestrian crossing could be justified.

“It should be noted that East Park Road does not have a history of pedestrian injury accidents, so there are no plans to install a crossing at this location.

“With limited funding available for such schemes, budgets must be prioritised to alleviate those areas of the road network where injuries to road users are already occurring.”