Campaigners are celebrating a small victory after the council agreed to add safety measures around the most dangerous road in the borough. However, residents will not be getting the pedestrian crossing they desperately wanted.

As reported in the Observer in September, Harrow Council documents revealed the crossing at the junction of George V Avenue, Pinner Road and Headstone Lane, in Pinner, had the highest rate of accidents in the borough.

Following the revelations plans for a new zebra crossing further down Pinner Road and pavement adjustments were proposed at a meeting for residents on October 29.

Next year the council will also bid for funding to add different phasing on the right hand turn signal at the traffic lights at the junction, which would allow more time for cars to turn.

The news comes after more than three years of campaigning by residents and teachers and pupils at Nower Hill High School, in George V Avenue, for a crossing at the dangerous junction.

Mother-of-two Farida Bakhshov, of Headstone Lane, was pleased at the council's plans.

She said: "I can't thank the Observer enough for all it has done. People said nothing would change and they would-n't do anything, but they have.

"At the end of the day what we want is safety. I want them to do more for the junction, but it is not realistic - this is the best we are going to get."

However, George Nagle, assistant head at the school, believes a crossing at the junction would be safer.

He said: "I would like to recognise the good work the council is doing and the crossing will raise awareness of road safety at the school but with the position the students will not use it.

"I get the impression that the mind set of the people that organise these things are more concerned with managing vehicle movement than pedestrian safety.

Susan Hall, portfolio holder for environment services, said: "It will cost £250,000 - £300,000 to put in a pedestrian crossing. TFL will put them in if we pay for them. Harrow Council does not have that money.

"TFL funding is based on how many serious accidents there are, that is the pecking order on how they spend their money.

"On the junction we have minor pedestrian problems and in other areas there are fatalities. I can understand what residents are saying, but that is how they determine it."

From January 2005 to December 2007 there were 24 reported incidents at the junction, 22 of the accidents resulting in 35 casualties and the majority of these were passenger injuries from vehicle-on-vehicle collisions.

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