A FORMER councillor is set to submit a petition calling for more to be done around road safety in an area of Pogmoor.
In March, an 88-year-old woman died after being involved in a collision on Pogmoor Road.
At the time, Chris Wray called on the council to do something to keep pedestrians safe.
He added he has long called on the council to introduce measures - one of which being a safety crossing on Pogmoor Road.
He’s now set to submit a petition to the council.
Chris told the Chronicle: “I’m pleased to still be working with and supporting residents, and pushing for road safety that Will Fielding and I were raising for years as councillors for the area, with a lot of support from others.
“I also know this is an area that the Lib Dem councillors, Steve Bullcock, Ian Guest and Phil Wright, will be paying close attention to because one thing we are is a team.
“The petition I will be submitting has over 130 signatures, all from residents around Pogmoor Road and those with a key interest in road safety in the area.
“The unfortunate reality is that Will and I had been giving warnings for years.
“The council agreed that a crossing was needed and placed dropped kerbs.
“The problem with the blind bend coming from Penny Pie Park and the issue of speeding traffic outside rush hour never went away, though.
“This is an area with a lot of elderly people, who need to cross an incredibly busy road to reach the one stop, or simply catch a bus to town or the hospital.
“My hope, and I know this is the hope of residents in the area, is that the warnings everybody in the area has been giving for a long time will now be acted upon, the area will get a safe crossing, and the tragic accident that happened only too recently will not happen again.”
Matt O’Neill, executive director of place, said: “My thoughts are with the lady who tragically passed away, and with all those who knew and loved her.
“We are committed to ensuring Barnsley’s roads are as safe as they can be, and always take a robust, data-driven approach to how we carry out road safety interventions. We always take seriously any concerns in relation to road safety.
“There is a live South Yorkshire Police investigation and there will be a coroner’s inquiry.
“It would be inappropriate for the council to comment on the circumstances of the incident or to pre‑empt the outcome of these processes.
“The council is supporting South Yorkshire Police with their investigations.
“Once this process has been completed, any recommendations will be investigated jointly by the Road Policing Group of South Yorkshire Police and a member of Barnsley Council’s Highways team.”
