ROAD safety campaigners are calling on the county councillor responsible for highways to appear in person when Brentwood Borough Council next meets to discuss a stalled plan for a pedestrian crossing in Ongar Road.
Essex highways chief Councillor Derrick Louis has already turned down the crossing plan once last year, arguing the proposal did not meet highways criteria.
However, following huge disappointment and with a second chance at overturning his decision, campaigners want to make their voices heard before a consultation closes on February 8.
Every day, scores of young children can be seen making a dash through speeding traffic on their way to and from Bentley St Paul's C of E Primary School.
A meeting took place at Brentwood Town Hall on Monday to discuss the plan further.
At this meeting, the borough council's Lib Dem group leader David Kendall threw down the gauntlet to Councillor Louis, challenging him to attend the next meeting.
To cheers from parents and supporters, Mr Kendall, who is also a county councillor, said: "He needs to understand the frustration and anger that these people have over the matter."
There has been a spate of crashes in Ongar Road in recent weeks.
In one incident just before Christmas, a van narrowly missed three children after crashing into the corner of Mores Lane.
One parent, who did not want to be named, said this week: "A main concern for Essex County Council is interrupting the traffic flow on this stretch of road, but I fail to understand their reluctance to do this.
"There have been many minor collisions at this junction in the past couple of months alone and they are occurring even more frequently.
"Smashed car debris regularly has to be cleared from the grass verges and the road, all of this comes at a substantial cost to the council."
Lib Dem county councillor Barry Aspinell, who has campaigned for the crossing, said: "What we are talking about is not doing something to save a child's life."
Borough councillor Keith Parker chairs a joint Essex County Council and Brentwood Borough Council highways panel.
He said this week that the panel is proposing to earmark money for a plan B in the event that a crossing is not given the go-ahead.
This plan, he said, would include vehicle-activated signs, a 40mph limit either side of the junction and double yellow lines on the corner of the drop-off point next to Bentley Primary school.
Mr Parker added: "We have earmarked £250,000 for the project.
"If the crossing doesn't go ahead we have to make sure we have other projects to spend it on, but then we can earmark £250,000 for next financial year. We have to have other schemes just in case the cabinet decision is no.
"I don't want people accusing me of losing £250,000 for the borough."
