Boris refuses to prioritise safer crossings

10.43.19am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 24th Jul 2009

Boris must act to make crossings safer

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has refused Liberal Democrat demands to improve the safety of hundreds of London pedestrian crossings that do not give people enough time to cross the road.

Over 400 of the capital's pedestrian crossings, including many in Westminster, do not comply with the minimum timings guidelines from the Department of Transport. These crossings do not provide enough time between the green man light disappearing and the amber light appearing for motorists.

LibDem London Assembly Member and chair of the Assembly's transport committee Caroline Pidgeon wrote to the Mayor in May demanding that the crossings be made safer. She called on him to bring forward current plans that mean that some of them won't be fixed until 2012. Despite her appeal however the Mayor refused to bring any of the work forward.

Commenting, Westminster North's Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Mark Blackburn said:

"We can all laugh at Boris's latest japes, but it is time for him to get serious. Over 400 of the capital's pedestrian crossings need to be safer. And yet he isn't willing to hurry up any of this work."