West Auckland councillor, Stephen Gray, has called for urgent progress on plans for a pedestrian crossing at the newly built Bishop Auckland Retail and Leisure Park, warning that local residents are increasingly concerned about safety on the busy route between the Sainsbury’s side of the development and the retail park itself.
Cllr Gray says he is receiving a growing number of complaints and concerns from members of the public regarding the difficulty and danger of crossing the road safely, particularly following the opening of the new cinema and the continued development of phase two of the retail park.
Cllr Gray said: “This is one of the most common road safety concerns now raised with me by local residents and I completely understand why people are worried.
“The retail park is an important investment for the wider area and brings jobs, visitors and economic benefits into Bishop Auckland, which is something I welcome.
“However,” added Cllr Gray, who is also a cabinet member at Durham County Council, “it is also clear that the surrounding pedestrian infrastructure now needs to catch up with the scale of development and traffic levels we are seeing.
“As the local councillor, I have made my feelings on this matter known within the County Council. I have been pressing for urgent progress because many residents genuinely feel this is becoming a serious accident waiting to happen if action is delayed for too long.”
With the support of Cabinet colleagues, Councillor Gray has now called for urgent progress on the crossing scheme, including fast-tracking the final design work, progressing early construction planning and moving quickly to reduce the speed limit on the road so the crossing can legally be installed.
He has also asked whether any temporary safety improvements can be introduced while the final scheme is being delivered.
Stephen Gray added: “I want to be constructive because I recognise there are legal and technical steps that have to be completed properly.
Officers are undertaking important work around the scheme and I appreciate that.
“However, local people want to see visible progress and a clear sense of urgency.
“The current speed of traffic is one of the biggest concerns raised with me and reducing the speed limit is an important step towards making the crossing possible and improving safety overall.
“I believe the council should now do everything possible to fast-track the remaining work so construction can begin as soon as possible.
“My role as the local councillor is to make sure the concerns of local people are heard loudly and clearly and to continue pushing for the action our community wants to see.
“I will continue working with the Council and all relevant parties to help ensure this crossing is delivered as quickly as possible.”
Responding to the concerns, Nicholas Bryan, Durham County Council’s acting head of transport and contract services suggested works are expected to get underway by next spring: “We understand that residents are keen for changes to be made to the A688 at Tindale Retail Park and we are exploring a number of options to deliver improvements,” he said.
“We have a wider programme of works planned along the A688 corridor, which include capacity improvements at key junctions as well as proposals for a walking and cycling route parallel to the road from the Coundon Gate to Tindale roundabouts.
“As part of these plans, we are considering reducing the speed limit on certain sections of the road, including next to Tindale Retail Park.
“Work is ongoing to determine an appropriate speed limit and, if reduced, this would allow for signal-controlled crossings to be considered.
“Detailed design works on the Tindale roundabout and crossing improvements are already underway.
“Because of the scale of works along the A688 corridor, we are looking to coordinate these improvements to minimise the disruption to those who live and work nearby.
“However, we expect work to begin at Coundon Gate this autumn, progressing south towards Tindale Retail Park, where improvements should start next spring.”
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
