Safety call after death
CALLS have been made for more safety measures on the A4074 after a man was killed in a collision.
The pedestrian, who was in his fifties, suffered critical injuries after he was struck by a bin lorry on the stretch of the road outside the Severn Trent Green Power facility at Preston Crowmarsh on Monday last week. He died in hospital two days later. The tragedy happened less than two weeks before work is due to begin on a new crossing on the A4074 near Benson Marina, which the parish council andresidents campaigned for. The toucan crossing will have traffic lights that change to red when a pedestrian or cyclist wanting to cross the road presses a button.
Benson parish councillor Patricia Baylis said the man’s death was a “graphic illustration” of the need for traffic-calming measures on the road.
“His death is a tragedy for his family,” she said. “The toucan crossing is extremely welcome but the accident should be a wake-up call to look much more closely at the speed and traffic management on the road.
“The traffic has become much heavier with the building of new housing developments and the speed on the road is a huge issue. It needs to be looked at holistically, not just the stretch in Benson but from Crowmarsh to beyond Shillingford.”
Bill Pattison, who chairs Benson Parish Council, said the man’s death was sad.
He added: “It has always been a dodgy crossing point and has a 50mph limit. Unfortunately, it is a very congested part of the road and people don’t necessarily abide by the speed limit.
“I live on the A4074 near McDonald’s and when you see the speed of some people coming down, you wouldn’t believe it, it’s ridiculous. I would like to think this will make the people who are responsible for road safety to have a think about what they can do to make improvements.
“However, I am not sure if a toucan crossing would be the best thing there because there isn’t as much pedestrian traffic as there is by the waterfront.”
County councillor Felix Bloomfield, who campaigned for the toucan crossing, said: “It has been needed for a long time in the interests of everyone’s safety — pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
“That particular stretch is a fast road and has been for a number of years. Any improvements have been needed for a long time.
“The work is due to start on Tuesday and supposed to last six weeks if everything goes to plan.
Because we have the Oxford buses such as the X40 and X39 pulling in where the crossing will be, it means improved safety for those using the bus between Reading, Henley and Oxford.
“This is an added benefit for sustainable transport as it should encourage more people to use the bus and the area will be improved.
“The county administration is so Oxford-centric and it is important we don’t let the rural areas get forgotten and that people like myself continue to apply that pressure. I am also working with Crowmarsh to install a zebra crossing on the high street outside the Bell pub.”
He added: “One death is far too many and we don’t want any more. My condolences to the man’s family.”
Councillor Andrea Powell, who represents Benson on South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “I think the toucan crossing can only help. I’ve had a number of emails from people at the lodges by the marina who have been asking for one for a long time.
“It is not pleasant to cross when you have cars coming at you from both ways. Rivermead is well used in the summer by families so you also have lots of small children crossing. There will also be lots of new families in the village with all the new developments.”