New pedestrian crossing for Huntingdon is backed after lengthy campaign

The long campaigned-for crossing, outside the Saxongate Community Learning Centre, was rubberstamped by Cambridgeshire County Council’s community infrastructure committee, following a petition backed by more than 600 people.

Calls for the scheme, in Hartford Road, were originally made in 2012 following a significant campaign but it was decided that funds would be spent elsewhere.

The announcement last week has been met with joy from users of the learning centre and local councillors.

“It will make a tremendous difference, it will stop people speeding round the corner as they go way too fast and sometimes have no regard – we can be waiting there for ages to be able to get across,” said Saxongate user Dan Cowlishaw. “For us it will make all of our lives a lot easier.”

The county council has awarded the scheme £10,000 for the construction and Huntingdon Town Council will contribute £5,000.

Barbara Darling, fundraiser for Huntingdon Community Radio and campaign backer, said: “We are all thrilled to bits, it has taken us a long time to get the crossing but now we have been given the go-ahead it will make a lot of difference.

“The amount of time it takes to cross the road usually but the crossing will make it a lot easier to get over.”

The funding will cover the cost of either a zebra or pelican crossing, with many favouring the later.

Town councillor Tom Sanderson added: “I am delighted that we have the funding, I think it is long overdue.

“A lot of vulnerable people use the Saxongate centre and the traffic can be quite heavy there and a lot of the vehicles drive, I think, at a high speed on that road so it will make it safer for the users to cross the road.”

The petition was started by VoiceAbility Cambridgeshire and the Speak Out Council after users of the centre raised concerns about the visibility of cars coming from St Mary’s Street to Hartford Road and the lack speed restriction on the stretch of road.