Page 5 - Phonebox Magazine March 2008

HAVE YOUR SAY
Letters
Dear Councillors
On Thursday 10 January this year my wife Doreen was knocked down on the Pelican crossing in the centre of Olney by a large ‘eight wheeler’ truck. According to a witness she had been making a late dash onto the crossing whilst the traffic was held on a red light, but immediately the light changed to a flashing yellow the truck driver moved off believing the crossing to be clear, because ‘he did not see her’. The truck at first did not stop, until other drivers alerted him. My wife was thrown into the path of the oncoming traffic, which was fortunately stationary, because they had only just been given a yellow flashing light to start, if the crossing was clear. My wife was in hospital for 15 days. She has a fractured neck of the Femur and a broken bone in her wrist and is on the long and painful path to recovery, including trying to walk again after a major injury.
The police, you will be interested to know, have decided to take no action against the driver, because they judge the accident to be ‘six of one and half a dozen of the other’.
Apparently the high cab and set back driving position limits what a driver can see, and in this case the police say that my wife could not be seen by the driver from his cab.
The reason why I am writing to you is that I should like you to put the following points to the Highways Department of the MK Council on my behalf:
Please examine this major crossing place in Olney.
a. The road surface has at some time been repaired, but the surface is not sound and in my opinion needs attention to prevent accidents happening.
b. The white painted ‘studs’ marking the crossing are worn and the paint is very faint and in some areas the markings are completely non existent. In my opinion the white lines on this crossing need renewing.
c. The vehicle stopping lines on both sides of the crossing are faded and also need renewing.
I would hasten to point out that I consider that none of these items contributed to my wife’s accident. However, I do ask that the following proposals be given careful and urgent consideration:
1. It is too easy for an elderly person like my wife or a young child to approach the crossing point at an angle, and apparently not be seen by a driver, especially in a high cab vehicle.
I feel that pedestrians should be stopped from entering the crossing point from the side by installing a tubular steel barrier on both sides of the crossing to direct and funnel pedestrians into the crossing safely. Whilst large heavy goods vehicles continue to flow along the A509, through the heart of Olney, the people of Olney should be protected.
2. If it is not possible for a driver of a heavy goods vehicle to see someone in front of his vehicle, whilst stationary at a pedestrian crossing, then maybe the front of the vehicle is badly designed?
Or if he cannot see a pedestrian, then maybe the vehicle stopping line, which I think is set at six feet, should be moved back further to improve the driver’s angle of vision?
The High Street in Olney I understand is a ‘conservation area’. Let us give high priority to conserving the lives of the people of Olney.
Regards
Basil Margrave, Olney
Write to: The Editor, Phonebox Magazine, Unit 2 Stanley Court, Olney, Bucks MK46 5NH Email: yvonne@olney.co.uk Tel: 01234 713298
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Phonebox Magazine 5