Croxley Green roadworks are "an accident waiting to happen" (From Watford Observer)

Croxley Green roadworks are "an accident waiting to happen"

4:30pm Friday 7th September 2012 in News By Adam Binnie, Senior Reporter

Roadworks in Croxley Green which have blocked a zebra crossing on a busy walk to school route have been described as “an accident waiting to happen”.

Work to convert two zebra crossings into signal controlled crossings, by Harvey Road and the petrol station, started on August 13 2012 and should be completed by the end of this week.

However, parents, childminders and even the local lollipop lady have complained that the timing has left school children without a safe route across the road.

Many young people walk along Watford Road in order to go to school at Harvey Road and Rickmansworth schools.

Julie Dean, a child-minder from Harvey Road, said she used the zebra crossing many times a day when walking children to school.

She said: “All the road has been ripped up and there's fencing all over the place.

“Nothing is even happening, one day some workmen turned up with temporary traffic lights but nobody else showed up all day.”

“Now we haven't got any kind of zebra crossing and we're relying on the lollipop lady who's only there twice a day, it's absolutely appalling.

“In the holidays, fair enough, but all the schools are back and the children in local primaries and the secondary school can't cross the road. It's a complete and utter mess.”

She argued that a sign saying the work would be completed by the start of this week had since disappeared.

Simon Hoggett, from Hertfordshire Highways, however said the roadworks were always due to finish at the end of this week.

He also said that although the crossings are closed, there are alternatives, which are signposted.

Ms Dean said her brother was killed on the road when he was nine.

She added: “It's always been a terrible crossing, people don't stop, but now it's an accident waiting to happen.”