Campaign for pedestrian crossing on busy town centre street

A GROUP of Lymington residents is campaigning for the introduction of pedestrian safety measures on a busy street in the centre that sees around 10,000 pedestrians a day crossing it at the height of the tourist season.

The Bottom of Town campaign is concerned for the safety of residents and visitors crossing Captains Row between the High Street and the top of Quay Hill, next to the Kings Head pub on the cobbles.

Jon Ellis, a spokesperson for the group, said: “There is a huge number of people trying to negotiate a crossing without any traffic calming measures like a zebra, or button-operated pedestrian crossing.

“You see large groups of people huddled on one side of the narrow pavements waiting to dodge across when they see a gap in the cars. It is dangerous.”

A recent survey carried out by Hampshire County Council showed that during the summer, up to 10,000 people were crossing the road.

Lymington town councillor Jacqui England, a member of the group, said: “This is an accident waiting to happen. It is even more dangerous for people with buggies or those in wheelchairs.

“The lowered parts of the pavement are diagonal to each other so they can’t even cross in a straight line - they have to negotiate their way round vehicles.”

The group wants Hampshire County Council to introduce a crossing at the junction, in addition to a zebra crossing on Gosport Street a few hundred metres away. Campaigners were recently at the location urging passers-by to sign a letter to the authority.

Jon said: “Traffic zooms along there sometimes, and people trying to get to the railway station are also finding it hard to cross safely. A simple zebra crossing would solve this.

“Lymington is a lovely town that attracts tourists from all over the country. We want residents and visitors to feel they can wander around it safely. “

In its letter to HCC, the group is also asking for a range of other safety measures to be introduced in the town, including a bus stop at the railway station. Although buses currently park there after the town’s main station off the High Street closed down, there is no actual stop.

“People get off the train to find the buses in front of them but are not allowed to step on them,” said Jon. “Instead they have to walk to a bus stop 300 feet away, which seems totally ridiculous.”

The group also wants a 20mph speed limit introduced to the High Street, Gosport Street and Captain’s Row, all of which have a 30mph limit. And Captain’s Row should become a one-way street with a 7.5-ton weight limit introduced there, it has argued.

Cllr England said: “It was never designed for traffic - it was built in the horse-and-cart era. We have been approached by residents of the Row about these measures being introduced.”

The final demand is for a footbridge to be built over the railway line from Almansa Way in the new Lymington Shores development. The bridge was promised by the developers as part of its planning permission.

Sally Spicer, a member of the Bottom of Town group, said of the campaigning so far: “We had a lot of feedback and support. It is something we are hoping to do regularly.”