Calls for safer pedestrian crossing in Plymouth

It follows claims of multiple near-misses

Calls are being made for a pedestrian crossing in the Mutley Plain area of Plymouth to be made safer after claims of multiple near-misses.

City councillors have been on the streets asking residents to sign a petition and say they have a lot of support for their campaign, which has the backing of Labour MP for Sutton and Devonport Luke Pollard who says the junction at the top of Mutley Plain is “an accident waiting to happen”.

Cabinet member for transport Cllr Mark Coker (Lab, Devonport) told the city council that the highways team had been “tasked to find a solution”.

Cllr Matt Smith (Lab, Compton), who asked if any assessment had been done of the crossing, said that unlike other crossings in the area, there was no  sequence for pedestrians on the traffic lights.

“There are lots of near-misses on a crossing that gets a lot of schoolchildren from Plymouth High Schools for Girls and Mount Street Primary using it and also various groups going to Mutley Baptist Church,” he said.

Cllr Coker said: “I am acutely aware of the concerns, but I am also acutely aware of the budgetary pressures that the council is under.”

The council is looking at the possibility of “active travel” funding to make safety on pedestrian crossings a priority and the one at Mutley Plain is on the list, he said.

According to data collated by Vision Zero, a road safety campaign organisation, seven collisions were recorded around the Mutley Plain crossing between 2019 and 2023.

Luke Pollard MP said: “The crossing at Mutley Plain is used by hundreds of pedestrians every day, but I am concerned that the current junction configuration is an accident waiting to happen.

“That’s why I’m supporting this campaign to make it safer for people to cross Mutley Plain and to make sure that our traffic can continue to flow safely through this vital artery of our city.”

Cllr Charlotte Holloway (Lab, Drake) said residents are telling them that they  take their lives in their hands each time they try to cross Mutley Plain.

“We need to make improvements here so that pedestrians feel safer, and so that drivers have the assurance they need that they are driving safely whilst maintaining a smooth flow of traffic.”

The campaign is also supported by Labour’s Compton councillors Dylan Tippetts and Angela Penrose.