CALLS have been made for a central refuge on an ‘unsafe’ road in Droitwich.
The bid for a safe crossing near the BP Garage on Worcester Road is being led by Coun Richard Morris, but Worcestershire County Highways has claimed this would be unviable and suggested alternative measures.
Coun Morris, who is also the Wychavon District Council leader, first set up a petition calling for safety measures by the BP Garage back in 2023, which gained 458 signatures.
The document said the measures, including a safe crossing, would be needed to prevent accidents from happening, describing the area as a complex and potentially dangerous situation.
Coun Morris told the Standard: “Many Residents tell me they feel unsafe crossing by the garage, whether they are crossing to shop, catch the bus, school children for School or dog walkers, there is a high number that look to cross here.
“Crossing is not easy due to the turning for Primsland Way, the bus stop and the garage.”
Others who have backed the petition have taken to Facebook to express concerns about the road’s safety.
One said: “There needs to be a crossing – I have seen near misses where people cross for the bus stop and cars are travelling fast down towards the roundabout.”
Another resident who backs the need for a central refuge added: “As well as providing a safe spot to cross, it will hopefully see a reduction in those who come down at speed.
“When I walk down, I sometimes think it’s only a matter of time before someone will get hit by a car or there’ll be a driver who loses control.”
Coun Morris said a member of Worcestershire County Council’s highways team had written to him to say the carriageway was only 8.5metres wide at the location, and a minimum width of 9.5metres was needed. Without that extra length, a central refuge could not be installed.
He added the highways team had suggested a controlled crossing or a dropped pedestrian crossing could be among the possibilities.
Dropped crossings, according to Coun Morris’s correspondence with highways, cost around £4,500, while a Toucan crossing would cost more than £200,000 to install.
However, Coun Morris said, following Highways’ feedback, he would continue to push for the central refuge, understanding the costs and keeping traffic flow and double yellow lines to support visibility.
Worcestershire County Council’s response
Coun Karl Perks, Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We follow Department for Transport (DfT) guidance when considering the installation of pedestrian refuges.
“These guidelines take account of road widths to ensure that refuges are of a safe and appropriate size to accommodate all users, including pedestrians with buggies, mobility scooters and cyclists.
“In order to meet current standards, a refuge should be at least 2.5 metres wide; reducing this width, or narrowing the carriageway, could have implications.
“In this instance, the available road width does not allow for a central refuge to be installed in line with the guidance.
“We are therefore looking at the feasibility of any alternative measures.”
