Crossing the Line

12.00.00pm GMT Fri 26th Feb 2010

John Coburn, Carol Caruana and Anthony Williams at Ledbury Road

Lib Dem campaigners in Bayswater have joined forces with neighbours in Kensington & Chelsea to call for long overdue action for residents around Ledbury Road.

Local people have been asking Tory council bosses in Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea for years to install a safe pedestrian crossing on Ledbury Road where many children cross. As Ledbury Road is the boundary between the two boroughs, any new crossing will require the two councils to co-operate.

"This is a simple people-sized issue that would really make a difference to residents' lives," says Bayswater campaigner Anthony Williams, "but it needs the two councils to talk to one another. This area is sandwiched between Queensway and Westbourne Grove in Bayswater and Portobello Road in Notting Hill, two popular shopping districts which people in both boroughs use. Things in the real world don't stop at the borough boundary so we need councils to work together."

Anthony and Bayswater colleague John Coburn joined Liberal Democrat Councillor Carol Caruana to talk to local people about the issue. "This is proving to be a popular local issue," says John. "Local leaders need to listen to what residents are telling them and take action - especially when something as simple as a crossing could make such a difference."

Councillor Caruana won her seat in a breakthrough election last summer to represent Colville ward in North Kensington, directly adjacent to Baywater. Local press recently identified Bayswater as a top target for Liberal Democrats to make a similar breakthrough in Westminster in 2010.