Parents and local residents are celebrating after the news that a zebra crossing will be built on a busy Mapperley road that runs past three schools.
Digby Avenue in Mapperley, Gedling, is surrounded by family homes, three schools, a residential complex for over 55s, a community multi-use games area and a public park. The road is a busy route for traffic and very difficult to cross at peak times to access the schools or playing field.
The Willis-Crowther family, of Digby Avenue, launched a petition in August 2021 calling on the County Council to install a zebra crossing after their five-year-old daughter, Minnie, came up with the idea. They contacted Gedling’s Conservative MP, Tom Randall, who wrote to every house and the three schools to inform them of the petition and then went out to collect signatures along the entire street. Tom Randall MP also helped to collect signatures from concerned parents in the school playground during pick-up time.
The petition was submitted to Nottinghamshire County Council on 25 November 2021 which triggered a traffic review. The Conservative-led Council published its response this month confirming that ‘a zebra crossing at this location is added to the 2022/23 integrated transport programme for delivery (subject to the necessary consultation, statutory undertakings and other issues arising from feasibility studies, detailed scheme investigation, and design; and value for money considerations)’.
Upon the implementation of this decision, a thrilled Tom Randall MP visited Digby Avenue again to congratulate the residents on their tremendous efforts in improving the community and said: “There was a strong response on the doorstep to the idea of a crossing. Many residents were concerned at the busy traffic, particularly at peak times. I am pleased the County Council has acted upon this and I hope that this crossing will help all local residents, from children going to school to walkers off to Digby Park.”
After making the decision to install a zebra crossing on Digby Avenue, Nottinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, Conservative Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, said: “This is yet another example of Nottinghamshire County Council listening to the priorities of our residents and taking steps to protect the safety of school children and other pedestrians.”
