A new zebra crossing is helping to ease social isolation for people who previously struggled to get to shops in Felpham. It’s one project in the £19million worth of improvement works taking place on West Sussex’s roads and footways between September 2020 and March 2021.
When improvement ideas for Felpham were put forward for consultation, Principal Highways Engineer Kevin Moss noticed a common theme – difficulties in crossing Felpham Road to reach the shops, cafés and other amenities.
Kevin, who has worked for the county council for about 30 years, explained: “Time and again we saw comments from older people, and people with mobility problems, who could not cross Felpham Road very easily, and so it was putting them off going out.
“There wasn’t enough room on the highway to install a signalised pedestrian crossing, so we put forward a zebra crossing scheme for the whole community, including parents with pushchairs, those with mobility restrictions, and older people: the older generation is used to using these, having known them all their lives.
“Previously, buses couldn’t fit in the layby on the eastern side of the road, so we extended it so they can drive right up to the kerb. We also raised the kerbs slightly in the laybys on both sides of the road to make it easier for passengers to get on and off.
“Feedback has been very positive, with people stopping me to ask if I had been involved with it and saying it’s made an amazing difference for people in being able to get out and about: you don’t get anything better than that as part of your job.”
The scheme gained the support of Felpham Parish Council and local county councillors, Cllr Hilary Flynn, who sadly passed away in the summer, and Cllr David Edwards.
The last element of the scheme – electronic bus information displays – are scheduled to be installed in the New Year, subject to factors such as severe weather. The scheme cost a total of about £50,000.
Pictured: Principal Highways Engineer Kevin Moss on a site visit