The Petition of residents of the UK,

Declares that the Petitioners believe a controlled crossing should be installed outside the Falcolner’s Hill/Parker E-ACT Academy/Dolphin Day Nursery on the Ashby Road.

The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to install such a controlled crossing.

And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Chris Heaton-Harris, Official Report, 17 July 2013; Vol. 566, c. 1270.]

[P001215]

Observations from the Secretary of State for Transport, received 12 August 1213:

The design, installation and maintenance of pedestrian crossings are matters for local highway authorities, in this case Northamptonshire County Council. They have powers to establish crossings on their roads, as well as a duty under section 122 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to “secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of vehicular and other traffic (including pedestrians)”.

Local authorities would need to consider local factors such as pedestrian numbers, road layout, traffic flow and speed and accident records in deciding whether a crossing is necessary, and if so what type to provide. The Department for Transport has published guidance on the assessment and design of pedestrian crossings, in two Local Transport Notes (LTNs):

LTN 1/95: The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings

LTN 2/95: The Design of Pedestrian Crossings

Both publications are available on the Department’s website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/local-transport-notes.

Local authorities are free to make their own decisions about the design of the streets under their care, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. It would be inappropriate for the Government to seek to intervene in the process of local democratic accountability.