Safety plan at last on Pagham's main road

A zebra crossing is to be installed on Pagham Road.

The safety feature will enable residents on the western side of the road to cross more easily to the Tesco Express branch and its neighbouring three stores.

The largest number of residents to benefit from the crossing are on the Mill Farm Estate of 270 homes, with 510 inhabitants, off Pagham Road.

Its residents' association chairman said the black and white markings and belisha beacon could save lives.

'Putting in a pedestrian crossing on Pagham Road will be an absolute boon to the residents of our estate and those in the Mill Nyetimber complex next day,' commented Ed Blackburn.

'If people on our side of the road want to go to Tesco, they need a crossing because the cars whip through that road at 50-60mph, particularly in the morning when the motorists are late for work.

'Pagham Road is especially busy between 7am and 8am and you take your life in your own hands trying to cross it.'

Anyone on the western side of the road who wanted to go into Bognor Regis also had to try to dodge the cars to catch the bus, he added.

News of the crossing's imminent arrival was revealed by Nyetimber's county councillor, Mike Coleman, at last week's Pagham parish meeting.

He said he had reached a verbal agreement with the county council's highways officers for the crossing to be installed.

'They have agreed to put a zebra crossing in somewhere between the post office and the Inglenook Hotel. I've had a tremendous number of requests for this facility to be put in.

'It's been an ongoing issue for the past two years but the crossing is now on its way. The county highways department is now on the case.'

He stated that the crossing would be a traditional zebra-style rather than the modern pelican crossing with button-controlled lights.

'Zebra crossings work well. This one will have lights and will be very obvious. The pelican crossings are not much more effective than the old fashioned zebra crossings,' he explained.

The crossing is expected to cost about 15,000, which is less than a pelican version. The precise location of the crossing would need to be determined by the highways officials to find the safest spot and provide room for drivers to slow down when they spot pedestrians.