Pedestrians Risk Eighty Near-Misses Per Hour With Traffic - Prestatyn

PEDESTRIANS in Prestatyn are "risking their lives" as they cross a main road used by 11,500 vehicles per day.

Improvements to the town's bus station meant the closure of a pelican crossing and removal of a footpath along Ffordd Pendyffryn.

The improvements are part of a multi-million pound shopping complex including Tesco, Miss Selfridge and Marks and Spencer with radical changes to the town's traffic system.

But Denbighshire highways department have been handed a video showing eighty"near misses" per hour between pedestrians and vehicles during a busy market day.

The video shows a bus missing a man by inches and a white van braking sharply to allow an elderley couple to cross safely.

In anorther clip lasting 46 seconds a man jogs accross the road to avioid being hit by a learner driver, then another man escapes a taxi by one second, the same taxi then has to brake sharply and swerve to avoid an elderly lady, thirty-six seconds into the clip a young couple with a pram jog accross the road missing a silver car by two seconds

Vale of Clwyd MP Chris Ruane received an email stating that a further 15,000 near misses could happen before a new pelican crossing is opened next month.

Mr Ruane said:.

"There is obviously cause for great concern if the number of near misses is so high and it sounds like that area is an accident waiting to happen.

"I have had other reports of the problems in that area and the situation sounds pretty dire.

"Delays in the bus station works certainly aren't helping the situation and have been a source of complaint from businesses and residents alike and with the
tourism season just beginning the problem could get much, much worse.

"I am urging motorists to take particular care in that area while work is taking place and for Denbighshire to take further action to improve traffic safety in
the meantime."

Town councillor Sherry Edwards said the county's highways department had "ignored" basic safety and "common sense" by not using a temporary crossing during the roadworks.

After seeing the video Cllr Edwards, who is MP Chris Ruane's secretary, visited the junction for one hour between 8am and 9am to monitor how many schoolchildren were being effected.

"I counted seventy four people crossing the road in one hour with seventeen near-misses involving schoolchildren and some of those only just made it," said Cllr Edwards.

"There's absolutely no traffic control in this area and it's a disgraceful dereliction of responsibility by Denbighshire council and it just makes you angry," she said.

A spokesman for Denbighshire highways department said:

"Prestatyn is going through unprecedented change at this time, with many new developments happening throughout the town and it is impossible to do
the necessary works without some inconvenience and upheaval.

"The Pelican Crossing on Ffordd Pendyffryn was removed some time ago as part of the highway works required for the bus station and new shopping
park.

"As part of the works, new traffic lights are being introduced on the junctions of Ffordd Pendyffryn/Bridge Road and Ffordd Pendyffryn/Penisardre Road.

"These new traffic lights will both include pedestrian crossings which means the existing crossing is no longer required. The new traffic lights are due to be switched-on in just under three weeks time - 11 June 2012.

"The Council's Traffic Safety Officer has been to the site to carry out an inspection and consider whether there are any further amendments that can be made to assist the safety of pedestrians in the intervening time."