HIGHWAY chiefs have rejected calls to slash the speed limit on the approach to a pedestrian crossing that has seen several accidents.

The crossing is on a 50mph section of the A35 Totton Bypass, which separates the main part of the town from Hounsdown and Eling.

Pupils at Hounsdown School are among the people who use the facility, along with families going to and from Eling Recreation Ground.

Daily Echo: The pedestrian crossing of the A35 Totton Bypass.The pedestrian crossing of the A35 Totton Bypass.

Totton county councillor David Harrison has called for the speed limit to be reduced to 30mph, but his plea has been turned down.

Referring to the current limit he said: "The crossing is frequently used by very small children and it's terrifying to think they might be wiped out by a car, van or lorry travelling at that speed. It's also very common for drivers to go through when the lights are red."

Cllr Harrison insisted that a lower limit "would give pedestrians a better chance".

In 2018 a 22-year-old Totton woman suffered serious head injuries after being involved in an accident on the crossing. Four years earlier an elderly pedestrian was badly hurt in an incident involving a bus.

According to official figures, six injury accidents occurred on or near the crossing in the five-year period ending in March 2018.

Daily Echo: The crossing is near the Rushington Roundabout.The crossing is near the Rushington Roundabout. (Image: Newsquest)

Several people have taken to social media to support Cllr Harrison's call for a reduction in the speed limit.

One person posted: "I regularly cross the road at these lights and never feel totally safe when doing so. The way some people drive, and also the volume of traffic, make it an intimidating and often scary experience."

Another added: "Next year my son may be using this crossing twice a day to get to and from school. I'm dreading it. I'm teaching him to check all traffic has actually stopped before he trusts the green man."

Some of the other posts say the 40mph restriction on the Redbridge Causeway should be extended further west.

But Cllr Edward Heron, the county council's executive lead member for transport, said: "We have previously advised Cllr Harrison that any localised reduction in the speed limit is unlikely to change driver behaviour or offer any significant road safety benefit.

“We constantly review incidents on the county’s roads to help ensure road safety measures can be as effective as possible.

"New high-level signal heads were installed at the crossing in June 2020 and improvements have been noted in terms of a reduction in the number of reported incidents.

"Since installation there has only been one reported incident, in 2021, which did not involve pedestrians."

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