Zebra crossing to be relocated after boy injured in crash

Paul Faulkner - Local Democracy Reporting Service
road and crossing outside the college
The council has launched a public consultation on plans to relocate and redesign the crossing [Google]

A zebra crossing where a boy on a bike was clipped by a van and injured will be relocated, according to local officials.

Talha Hussain, then aged 10, landed with cuts and bruises in a side road near a crossing point on Manchester Road, outside Cardinal Newman College in Preston, in July 2023.

Lancashire County Council is now proposing to shift the crossing by three metres and to expand it, ahead of the college’s expansion in September.

There had previously been calls for a decade to replace the crossing with pedestrian traffic lights.

Warning: Some readers might find the below image distressing.

College principal Nick Burnham said they were "pleased to be working with Lancashire Highways in order to improve the roads and pedestrian areas".

Lancashire County Council is consulting the public on its plans, with comments being invited until 12 July.

It said the zebra crossing would be widened from 7.2 metres width to 10 metres and that “visibility of the junction is poor”.

Talha Hussain with blood from cuts on his face
Talha Hussain made a full recovery after suffering cuts when he was clipped by a van [Family handout]

The council added: “The increased width will allow a greater number of pedestrians to cross safely at the same time, reducing the delays to traffic and improving safety for all road users.

“The provision of a raised junction table has been requested by Cardinal Newman College, due to serious accidents involving pedestrians at the junction (recorded between 2020 and 2023) and on the adjacent zebra crossing.”

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