Sutton Council will install a second zebra crossing in Hackbridge following a consultation into design options for new crossings.

The crossings are being put in following the results of the independent Road Safety Audit and the Accessibility Audit commissioned by the council into the Greater London Authority funded Heart of Hackbridge scheme which was completed in autumn 2014.

The £1.4m scheme was overseen by the Hackbridge Delivery Board made up of Bioregional, the GLA, Sutton Council, the Hackbridge and Beddington Corner Neighbourhood Planning Group, local businesses and residents.

It included making the area more accessible and attractive through measures including wider footways, step free access to shops, new shop fronts, disabled parking bays, stop and shop parking, new benches and seating areas, bike parking, new street trees and landscaping.

It also added a new road layout to reduce speed which included informal crossings.

The Accessibility Audit and the Road Safety Audit recommended to improve the junction by introducing controlled crossings and removing an informal crossing on London Road immediately to the south of the roundabout.

There were also concerns by some residents that the informal crossings were confusing for pedestrians and motorists, and those with a disability or impaired vision found issues around accessibility.

As a result, in December the council reinstalled a zebra crossing at 1 Hackbridge Road outside Hackbridge Primary School and held a consultation on the location of a second crossing.

The potential sites for the second controlled crossing were discussed with representatives of community groups including Hackbridge Primary School, the Beddington and Hackbridge Neighbourhood Group, Hackbridge Safety First, local traders, Sutton Police, London Buses and Sutton Vision. They were also Road Safety Audited.

Altogether, 319 questionnaires were returned through the council’s official consultation process.

On Thursday, the council’s Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee decided to opt for Option Two which is an additional crossing at 156 London Road, north of the roundabout, because:

• overall, most people favoured having the second crossing north of the roundabout (adding option two (93 in favour) and option four (54 in favour) together making 147
• this option also had the backing of Sutton Vision which represents 5,400 registered visually impaired people in Sutton and 40 in Hackbridge,
• it was the favoured option for the Metropolitan Police
• it has already been decided that a fully signal-controlled pedestrian crossing will be provided to the south of the roundabout through the Felnex development

Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment & Neighbourhoods Committee at Sutton Council, said:

“We have already introduced a new zebra crossing outside Hackbridge Primary School and now based on the results of our consultation we will create a second zebra crossing to the north of the Hackbridge junction.

“I want to thank everyone that took part in the consultation including Sutton Vision, residents in Hackbridge and the Metropolitan Police who have helped create the new designs.

“Overall, 80% of people surveyed about the improvements made in the Heart of Hackbridge scheme believe it made the area more attractive and appealing, and now these new crossings will help to improve road safety and accessibility.”

Michael Parsons, local resident, guide dog user and Vice Chair of Sutton Vision, said:

“Sutton Vision strongly recommend Option Two and we are very happy that the Environment & Neighbourhood Committee has agreed.

“We’d like to thank Sutton Council officers and staff for listening to residents’ concerns, and especially for taking the time to work with Sutton Vision to make a safer Hackbridge for all.”

Local resident Tracey Collins, Hackbridge Safety First, said:

“We are delighted to hear the Sutton Council will be installing a second controlled crossing on London Road, Hackbridge. The new zebra crossing that was installed just before Christmas in Hackbridge Road is working very well.”

The independent User Survey carried out last year into Heart of Hackbridge scheme found that 83% of those surveyed believed the scheme has improved their perception of the area; 80% said it had made the area more attractive and appealing and 68% believed it enhanced their satisfaction with the shopping area.

Notes to Editors

To see the Environment and Neighbourhoods report click here (Item 4).

The consultation results were:

• Option One: 52 people (36 from Hackbridge), wanted to just have one crossing at 1 Hackbridge Road
• Option Two: 93 people (61 from Hackbridge) favoured having one crossing at 1 Hackbridge Road and a second south of the roundabout at 156 London Road
• Option Three: 110 people (78 from Hackbridge) favoured having one crossing at 1 Hackbridge Road and a second crossing north of the roundabout at 25 London Road
• Option Four: 54 people (41 from Hackbridge) favoured having one crossing at 1 Hackbridge Road and a second crossing south of the roundabout at 146 London Road

In addition, students from Carshalton Boys School also ran their own consultation in which 80 people took part. Although the council took these views on board, it kept these responses separate as the council had no way of knowing if these respondents were provided with the same information as it provided online and through a leaflet.

The independent User Survey was carried out by Retail Revival. The independent Road Safety Audit was carried out by Capital Traffic and the Accessibility Audit by TMS. The surveys can be accessed through the ‘Outer London Fund – Heart of Hackbridge’ page on the Sutton Council website: https://www.sutton.gov.uk/info/200264/streets_roads_and_highways_maintenance/1374/the_outer_london_fund/4