Safety concerns arise in Grimsargh after pedestrians are finding it increasingly difficult to cross a popular road.

Locals are calling out for a pedestrian crossing to be installed on Longridge Road, near to the junction of The Hills, to prevent an accident occurring.

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It has been reported that vehicles are going too fast, despite a 30mph speed limit being in place on the road.

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One local, Anthony Harrison, who lives at The Hills, fears that more accidents could occur after his daughter and another young girl nearly got ran over attempting to cross the busy Longridge Road on Monday 15 January.

Anthony said: “It was around 3.30pm when my daughter Elisha was on her way home from school and she got off the bus at her usual stop at the start of The Hills and Longridge Road, in Grimsargh.

“She was tasked with crossing the main road where there isn’t any pedestrian crossing available to cross safely.

“After approximately 5 minutes of waiting for a gap to safely cross the road, a vehicle coming from the Longridge direction stopped to allow my daughter and her friend to cross.

“However, when my daughter was heading towards the middle of the carriageway, she soon realised that a Stagecoach bus was driving from the Preston direction at an excess speed and was nearly hit.

“Even though the driver would of seen my daughter crossing, they opted to speed up rather than slow down which is unacceptable.

“Longridge Road is a 30mph road and the buses and other motorists always drive at excess speeds up this road.

“It is only a matter of time before someone is hurt or, god forbid, killed due the speed of motorists coming through the village, at ranges between 40 – 60mph.

“My wife was up all night with worry due to the near miss and I believe that something needs doing now to prevent anything like this happening again as next time we may not be as lucky.”

“It’s not just the crossing though, even trying to get out in a morning or evening can be dangerous in a car.”

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What Stagecoach said

A spokesperson for Stagecoach said: “Our drivers undergo extensive training and rigorous reviews to ensure they operate as safely as possible at all times, for the good of passengers, pedestrians and other road users – This is something we take extremely seriously.

“We empathise with the concern felt by parents whose children regularly need to cross busy roads without adult supervision.

“This can be dangerous, particularly at junctions during rush hour.

“Where appropriate, we would always support the installation of road features – such as passenger crossings – which would make the roads safer.

“Although we have not been contacted directly by the parent in question, local media has brought an allegation to our attention and the local depot will be conducting a thorough investigation into the alleged incident.”

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County council response

Lancashire County Council deal with the installation of pedestrian crossings on Lancashire roads.

A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said: “We prioritise limited funding for new pedestrian crossings where there is a high demand for pedestrians to cross the road, or where there is a record of injuries to pedestrians.

“Introducing a controlled pedestrian crossing which is little-used can lead to safety issues as drivers do not develop the habit of having to stop when it is being used.”