Safety first at busy intersection

How do you make a road safer by removing a pedestrian crossing? Stratford District Council’s Operations Manager can tell you.

“The Regan / Miranda Street intersection is a busy area frequently crossed by school students walking down Regan Street,” says Operations Manager John Jones. “There is a pedestrian crossing 10 metres down Miranda Street, but unfortunately, many people simply cross at the intersection, rather than walking down to the pedestrian crossing.”

Rather than attempting to change pedestrian behaviour, the Stratford District Council plans to accommodate it with a revised intersection.

“The pedestrian crossing is currently 22 metres across, which is too wide,” John says. “To improve safety, we will create pedestrian safe havens at the Regan / Miranda Street corners, with an island in the middle of Miranda Street. This means that pedestrians will cross two 7 metre sections of Miranda Street, rather than one big section, and they won’t need to walk down Miranda Street in order to cross safely. If traffic is busy, pedestrians will be able to pause at the island.”

The work is expected to be completed in May.