Outraged residents in two villages have expressed their disgust at the county council for delaying a much needed pedestrian crossing until 2011.

For many years residents in Leavesden and Abbots Langley have fought to have the crossing installed in College Road, linking the two sides of Leavesden Country Park and enabling easier access to the shops in Katherine Place.

At present pedestrians gain access at the main entrance to the park by using the roadways which have no footways.

Claire Traxon, manager of the Early Adventures nursery in Katherine Place, has expressed her concern at Hertfordshire County Council’s decision to postpone plans.

Ms Traxon said: “We need safe access to the park as we take the children over there at least three times a week. Parents also walk to the nursery to drop and pick them up. It’s important we put the children’s safety first.”

Martin Brooks, the Leavesden Park ranger says its ‘imperative’ that park users, children, and cyclists have a safe place to cross.

He said: “It’s of upmost concern. We have two day care centres in the park. We need a crossing. It’s a necessity.”

Margaret Whittington, a florist at the Flower Cellar in Katherine Place, said: “It’s very dangerous. I often see people trying to cross the busy road with their dogs and push chairs.

“It’s scary especially for the elderly who are trying to get to the shops.”

In early 2008 Leavesden ward Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst presented a petition signed by more than 500 residents calling for the implementation of a crossing.

He says the county council at first said it was not possible to install a crossing but had to backtrack when a consultation employed by Three Rivers District Council proved that it could.

The county council had refused to fund the investigation so Cllr Giles-Medhurst persuaded Three Rivers Council to fund it and design a safe crossing route.

It identified a site just north of the current vehicle entrance and new paths across the park with pedestrian entrances taking away the dangerous route in and out on the road-way. However it's remains, as the highways authority, the county council's job to fund a crossing.

Cllr Giles-Medhurst and county Councillor Paul Goggins say it’s a ‘disgrace’ that the crossing is being delayed and that the council is ‘neglecting the needs of residents’.

Cllr Giles-Medhurst said: "We are disgusted that despite knowing what Three Rivers was doing and about the plans last year the county council has now refused to fund a crossing until 2010/11.

“Given it could take some months to install and knowing how slow the county council is, we may have to wait till early 2011 before a safe place to cross is installed."

The county council has confirmed that College Road was identified as one of a number of sites to be included in building work for 2009/2010 but was not selected when the schemes were prioritised against funding available.

Spokesman for the council John Camp said: “Alternative funding has now been secured to take forward the detailed investigation and design in 2009/2010 and we intend to build the scheme in 2010/2011.

“We consider the current timetable for building is realistic to allow proper consultation with councillors and members of the public to be carried out.

“If work on the detailed design and consultation moves forward more quickly, we will do all we can to bring the scheme forward.”