Victory for Trinity Street pedestrian crossing campaigners

Jun 8 2009 by Sam Casey, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Victory for pedestrian crossing campaigners

CAMPAIGNERS are celebrating victory in a six-year battle to have a pedestrian crossing built across a busy Huddersfield road.

Residents and councillors have been pressing for improvements to make crossing Trinity Street near Greenhead Park safer.

The park is currently undergoing a multi-million pound regeneration.

Now Kirklees Council’s Cabinet has approved £50,000 for a crossing near the junction with Mountjoy Road.

Greenhead councillor Mehboob Khan said: “This is very welcome because it seemed pretty daft to be spending almost £5m to regenerate Greenhead Park without improving access across Trinity Street, which has 90,000 vehicles a day and some of them travelling at excessive speeds.

“We have been working with local people for the last two years to improve access.

“When it went to Cabinet two years ago, they refused to acknowledge that there was a need for help.

“I’m pleased it is now going to happen and it will encourage people to walk to the park, which doesn’t have enough car parking spaces anyway.”

Beryl Robinson, secretary of the Highfields Community Residents’ Association, said people who tried to cross Trinity Street at the moment were taking their life in their hands.

“Traffic is on the increase and people with children or in wheelchairs are especially vulnerable.

“It is putting everyone at risk.

“There are a number of people who rely on carers to take them across town and they need to have a safe place to cross.

“This crossing will also help with the refurbishment of the park because it will mean more people will use it. The time is right.”

A report to the Cabinet said encouraging people to walk would help reduce carbon emissions. A decision about what type of crossing will be built will be made in the near future.