SALENDINE Nook residents fear work to pedestrian crossings in the area has made them less safe.
Kirklees Council has removed the central pedestrian refuge at a crossing on New Hey Road, near Salendine Nook High School.
It was taken away when contractors carried out work to two crossings on the road two weeks ago.
At the time parents hit out at the fact that both crossings were out of action at once for almost a week, leaving schoolchildren to cross the busy road unaided.
The work is now complete, but concerned residents feel lives could still be in danger.
Ian Foster lives at Deer Croft Crescent near the crossing. He uses it several times each day while walking his dog.
He said: "Since the island has been taken away I have heard brakes screeching a few times and seen cars that have stopped setting off again before pedestrians are fully across.
"Before, when children got halfway across, they could be on the island and be safe."
Mr Foster said cars also seemed not to slow down as far in advance as they used to.
He added: "I don't know if the crossing is less easy to see now the central island has gone, but they are not slowing down enough.
"I feel it is not as safe as it was. It needs monitoring and treating with caution."
A Kirklees spokeswoman said the island had been removed because it could not cope with the number of pedestrians who waited on it.
She added: "There was not enough capacity for people to wait to cross and they were spilling into the road."
She said the kerbs on either side of the crossing had been extended, so more people could wait to cross at once.
She added: "The previous set-up meant pedestrians had to view each part as a separate crossing.
"Now, when a pedestrian steps out, all traffic has to stop. This provides greater safety for crossing users.
"The crossing also features better lighting to enhance its visibility. It also slows traffic down.
"A recent survey showed that a lot of people were not using the crossing. We are waiting to see if the improvements have changed this."
