A public campaign to have a pedestrian crossing installed on a busy Dundee road looks set for success after the city council stated that it would not object to the proposals.
Neil Gellatly, head of transport at Dundee City Council, said the local authority is “not a million miles” away from agreeing to a designated crossing on Pitkerro Road following a public campaign to have one constructed on the route.
Subject to suitable funding being found, possibly from local community organisations, it is thought that a safe passage across the busy road could be constructed early within the next financial year.
Talking to The Courier on Wednesday, Mr Gellatly said regular contact with campaigners meant that a resolution to their concerns was close.
He said, “It’s premature to say that it’s going to happen but we would not object to such an installation. We’re not a million miles apart.”
Campaigners for a crossing have claimed that there have been at least three incidents of people being struck by cars in the last 18 months on the route, which runs past Morgan Academy and is used by many as a rat run to the city centre.
An online petition has attracted 270 signatures from concerned locals, pressure that helped to force the council to review pedestrian safety measures on Pitkerro Road last month.
The council’s transport department have admitted that people power has played a part in bringing the concerns to the local authority’s attention.
Estimating that around 85-90% of pedestrian movement along the road is at school times and despite the presence of a crossing supervisor, Mr Gellatly believes recent incidents have provided just grounds for a permanent crossing to be established.