Parents blast council over crossing delay near school

COUNCIL bosses have apologised after delays in installing a £58,000 pedestrian crossing outside a school meant it wasn’t ready for the start of the new term.

Lancashire county council has been criticised after delays to the new puffin crossing on Broadway, Haslingden.

The crossing is near Haslingden High School, which returned after the summer break this week.

Lindsay Harris posted on our Facebook page: “Mad it’s not working when school’s gone back. The traffic is really bad and the kids have been struggling to cross. It’s really dangerous.”

Keeley Love said: “Six weeks they have had to complete this while all the kids were off and traffic less heavy.”

Nik Litwinenko-Jones said: “Much needed! Unbelievable they couldn’t complete in the school summer holidays.”

Hilary Lucas added: “LCC should provide a lollipop person to help them cross until it is working!”

The crossing was finally completed on Wednesday morning, September 6.

Earlier in the week Lancashire county council told the Free Press: “We’re sorry for the delay in switching on the new puffin crossing near Haslingden High School. We’re treating this as a priority and hope to be able to switch on the crossing very shortly after completing some final checks on the scheme.”

School bosses, drivers and parents have campaigned for several years for a pelican crossing outside the school to replace the zebra crossing, which was claimed to cause traffic congestion and safety concerns at peak times.

‘The traffic is bad and the kids are struggling to cross’

The scheme was approved in June with planning officers aiming to address “long queues of traffic at busy times of day” and arguing the puffin crossing would better manage the current conflict between pedestrians and traffic.

The application received two objections – one from a Broadway resident, and a second from a parent of a pupil at nearby Broadway Primary School relating to parking spaces.