Parents want crossing after children hurt in crash

The mother of a girl injured in a road traffic accident in East Sussex is frustrated that local authorities have not taken action to install a pedestrian crossing.

Toki Snook's daughter and her friend were injured in March after being struck by a car while crossing Amberstone in Hailsham, between Linnet Lane and Trefoil Road.

Snook, who led a demonstration on Wednesday,said that while both girls were "physically doing much better", her daughter was struggling mentally and now "freezes when she sees cars".

East Sussex County Council (ESCC) said the crossing did not meet its funding threshold.

Snook believes ESCC and Wealden District Council (WDC) are "batting" the decision on a pedestrian crossing "back and forth" without committing to action.

A spokesperson for ESCC said that the "limited budget we have is focussed on the highest priority schemes" and the Amberstone pedestrian crossing "did not score highly enough to secure funding".

A spokesperson for WDC said the authority was "deeply sorry" to learn of the crash, but said it did "not have the statutory powers to install a crossing on the public highway".

Snook said that her daughter, now 10, had to hold hands as she crossed the road after the accident, which had caused her trauma.

The family are waiting for play therapy for her, while her school has moved to organise therapy sessions.

Snook said a petition, which has now reached over 1,000 signatures, was presented to ESCC in late March, but it was confirmed about three months later that the incident did not meet the threshold for a crossing.

She claimed that decision was made without a proper speed traffic survey.

The ESCC spokesperson said that speed data "will be collated at a later date to assist with developing proposals for a crossing".

They continued: "Officers are now working on options for alternative external funding for a crossing point, including Community Infrastructure Levy (CiL) money from developments in Wealden [council]. Those discussions are ongoing."

The WDC spokesperson said the authority had "not yet received a formal request" in relation to CiL funding, but that any application would "be considered".

In the meantime, Snook and other concerned parents will continue to push for this crossing so that "other parents do not have to go through" a similar ordeal.

She said: "We don't want another child hurt before action is taken. We need a safe crossing here, and we need it now."

On 23 September there will be a meeting to discuss a potential traffic survey.

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