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Saturday, January 23, 2010

Diana Johnson MP to support Jailhouselawyer's campaign to make Hull's roads safer for pedestrians

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Diana Johnson MP to support Jailhouselawyer's campaign to make Hull's roads safer for pedestrians



Last night at approximately 7.15pm, as I took Rocky for his walk and combined it with a visit to a friend's house, we came out of Pearson Park onto Princess Avenue just where the middle of three Zebra Crossings are situated. I witnessed a youth quickly dart across the Zebra Crossing, whereas his companion was more cautious and waited to see if the car coming from Queen's Road direction intended to stop. I saw the car break suddenly and the front end went down rather sharply. I wondered if the driver was obeying the 30MPH speed limit? He did just manage to stop in time and the second youth then walked across. I would have crossed at the same time, however, Rocky had other ideas as he cocked his leg up on the small wall which is the boundary of Pearson Park.

When Rocky finnished his business, and we were ready to cross the Zebra Crossing the car coming from the Queen's Road end stopped to allow us to cross and we started to cross over Princess Avenue. However, I suspected that the driver of the car coming from Spring Bank direction had no intention of stopping so I made sure that Rocky did not walk in front of me and into the path of the oncoming car, and cautiously moved forward. As I suspected, the car continued on its way and in so doing committed a traffic violation by going over a Zebra Crossing when a pedestrian was already on the crossing and almost half way across. The driver of the car behind the offending motorist did stop to allow us to continue our journey in safety.

I stood in the middle of the road long enough to fire a volley of abuse at the disappearing rear end of the car of the motorist who had failed to stop. Then I looked at the road when I had safely crossed. As similar has happened before at this spot to me, and I suspect many others, it signals an accident waiting to happen. This being the case, it could prove fatal for a child or elderly person. In my view, it is sensible to implement road safety measures in this spot.

My idea is for the council to make it a 20 MPH Zone starting just either side of these 3 Zebra Crossings. And because I have noticed that some motorists appear to be oblivious to either the Zebra Crossings or the people waiting to cross, they should be reminded of the need to cut their speed at these spots by the building of speed bumps here as an extra safety precaution.

As it so happens, I pass Diana Johnson's house on my way to my friend's house. And, as luck would have it, she was stood at her front door seeing guests off. Never one to miss opportunities, I ambushed Diana Johnson with my question. I stated my case. She replied that it was the council's responsibility. I pushed her on it, and she did then say that she was prepared to support and raise the issue with the council.

Hull City Council is Lib Dem controlled. And, I did vote for them whereas at the last general election I voted for Diana Johnson and Labour. This time I am not so sure about giving my vote to either Diana Johnson and Labour. Even some of her strongest supporters have expressed this view "all she does is tow the party line". For me that is not a qualification for my vote. I expect more from my MP than just being a nodding dog like those you see in the back of car windows...

Norfolk Blogger: Another good reason to vote Lib Dem in Hull North

Nich's post is in response to this post...

Andrew Allison: Blocked on Twitter by Diana Johnson MP

3 comments:

Andrew Allison said...

Thanks for the link.

jailhouselawyer said...

Andrew: My pleasure because it fitted in nicely with my post and reference to Nich and his reference to you. I am non-aligned and my vote is up for grabs...

Nich Starling said...

It's worth reading Andrew's blog. Although he is a Tory, he is very much a "get Labour out however you can" sort of person, and unlike many Tories, gives the Lib Dem council due credit where it is due.