COULD someone tell me who takes decisions on road safety? A few years ago myself and other Cherry Tree residents fought for a pelican or zebra crossing in Preston Old Road near Woodlands.

It is a very busy main route in and out of Blackburn and at this particular point serves a school, a clinic, a library and, at the time, an old people's home.

But even with Jack Straw's backing the answer came back 'No chance!' We ended up with a couple of islands in the road -- better than nothing but not the answer.

Imagine my surprise when, a few weeks ago, a zebra crossing appeared on Garden Street, Bank Top.

I know quite a few cars use the street but it's not the M6, and nowhere near as busy as Preston Old Road.

It sometimes make you wonder that it is where you live and in which ward you are that matters. Some wards seem to benefit more than others.

Cherry Tree Resident (name and address supplied).

FOOTNOTE: A council spokesman said: "The council annually receives from the government a small allocation targeted at road safety schemes.

"Each year the cost of requests for safety measures exceeds the budget available and there are strict guidelines and criteria laid down by government for prioritising the schemes based on the number of injury accidents and cost.

"The scheme implemented in the Woodlands area of Preston Old Road had the effect of providing two crossing points, while also slowing the traffic down.

"In some instances pedestrian refuges are considered safer than zebra crossings, as the pedestrian has to take responsibility for crossing without the, sometimes false, sense of security that a zebra crossing can give.

"The injury accident history of this area showed seven injury accidents resulting in three slight and one serious pedestrian casualty before implementation, whereas since implementation in 2000 there has only been one car injury accidents with no pedestrian injuries - a clear indication that the scheme met its objectives.

The provision of the zebra crossing in Garden Street was, however, funded from a different source with different aims. The council made a successful bid for funds from a government road safety initiative -- 'Dealing with Deprivation' -- which, recognising that deprived areas had a higher incidence of accidents, set aside funding specifically for use in deprived wards.

"The residents of two residential homes located along Garden Street were experiencing problems crossing the road to access buses which were their only form of transport. The constraints at this location prohibited the construction of a pedestrian refuge island and a zebra crossing was the alternative solution chosen."