A VAN careered into bushes just days after the man in charge of Essex Highways ruled vehicles do not travel fast enough to warrant a new pedestrian crossing at the same point.
Derrick Louis, Essex County Council's cabinet member for highways, has flabbergasted both campaigners from Bentley St Paul's Primary School and horse riders by deciding not to sign off a £250,000 pedestrian crossing between Ashwells Road and Mores Lane in Ongar Road.
Yet the accident on Thursday morning has served only to fuel campaigners' astonishment at the his decision.
Every day, campaigners say that scores of young children and their parents can be seen dashing through speeding traffic across Ongar Road as they make their way to and from the school.
In January 2011, horse rider Jane Mitchinson died in Ashwells Road after being struck by a vehicle. Campaigners also point out that Ongar Road is a dangerous barricade for riders trying to reach Weald Country Park.
Lisa Barrett, whose children go to the primary school, said: "I don't agree with the claim that the traffic doesn't travel more than 40 mph down that road.
"You regularly have to run across it.
"It's obvious that vehicles travel too fast.
"There have been three collisions on this junction in two months – they have occurred exactly where we stand to cross for school.
"On Thursday, a large van crashed where a mother with three children had been standing only moments before.
"The driver was very shaken and commented to a parent on how dangerous this junction is – he had to swerve off the Ongar Road to avoid hitting three children running across to the bus stop.
"If there was a crossing the children would not have been at risk. To say that not enough people are crossing the road is also a ridiculous claim.
"That's all conjecture.
"Of course, there aren't huge numbers of people crossing the road because at the moment it's too dangerous.
"Derrick Louis needs to come to the site to look at what we are discussing – he's got no clue about the area."
Paul Bird, director of highways and transportation at Essex County Council, said: "At the moment we don't have all the evidence to suggest a crossing is needed.
"The accident data and the flow of pedestrians don't justify the crossing.
"If members of the council and members of the public feel there is information that we have not been to pull together you need to make us aware."
Clare Russell, 47, whose six-year-old son Alexander goes to Bentley St Paul's said: "The reason we cross the road is because there is not enough parking on the school-side of Ongar Road, but also residents of Snakes Hill need to cross to get to the bus stop and horse riders need to cross to access the bridleways.
"Cars come at you at every direction – it's chaos."
A county council spokesman said: "At the last meeting of the Brentwood Local Highways Panel on November 19, the panel agreed to supply Essex County Council with additional supportive information for this potential scheme and this will be reviewed once it is received."
