I mentioned at the end May that I had held a very well-attended meeting with the residents of Blackness Court. Issues discussed included pedestrian safety and traffic speed on Blackness Road and I have now received this feedback from the City Council's Head of Transportation:
"Thank you for email about Blackness Court and elderly pedestrians having difficulty crossing Blackness Road at the Bus stop. I do have sympathy for elderly people crossing the road, however I think it would be highly unlikely that a new pedestrian crossing could be installed at this location as I do not believe that there is a significant pedestrian demand to justify one. In addition there is already a pedestrian refuge island just down the road to the east of the bus stop and this is within a short distance and I would recommend that this should be used to assist them across the road.
I would also resist the introduction of a 20 mph speed limit on this section of road as this road is a C Class road that carries significant amount of through traffic including buses, I know that there are 'part time 20s further up Blackness Road however this is directly related to the new school that has been built.
Finally I have asked that the location be looked at in signage terms however there are limits to the type of signage that is allowable. We have had difficulties around the city with signage clutter which can be aesthetically unattractive and reduces the effectiveness of the signage."
I have updated the Blackness Court Scheme Manager about this feedback and the matter will be discussed further at the next tenants' meeting there too. The agreement to review signage is welcome although I do think the City Council should embrace more 20's Plenty zones particularly where there are elderly residents crossing and in highly residential areas.