Hartlepool Borough Council to consider new crossing as pupil pens concerned letter

Ten-year-old Millie Palmer penned the letter two weeks ago and sent it to councillor Sue Little herself after she felt concerned for people who struggle to cross the road at near the shops in Elizabeth Way, Seaton Carew.

The St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School pupil has grandparents who live nearby and was also worried for parents with pushchairs trying to cross.

Dad David Palmer, 41, has said Millie wrote the letter on her own and was very surprised when Cllr Little responded.

The matter will now be debated at a forthcoming Hartlepool Borough Council meeting.

In the letter, Millie explains that the road on Elizabeth Way is “very hard to cross” because of the traffic and cars’ speed, before adding: “I think this is a problem because it is hard to cross for the elderly and school children (such as the ones that get the school bus) and people with buggies.

"I thought to solve this problem we could either add a Zebra crossing or a pelican crossing just to make the road a bit safer to cross.”

Mr Palmer said: "It’s really difficult to cross at that path. It’s a busy road. There are a lot of parked cars as well so there’s no real area where you can cross safely.

"Millie had noticed because a lot of parents with pushchairs struggle to cross and there was an old man who used to live over the road and struggled to cross as well. She was a bit concerned about that.”

Kieran Bostock, the council’s assistant director for place management, said: “The council has an established procedure for prioritising local safety schemes such as the installation of pedestrian crossings.

"Elected members have asked that we formally consider the request for a crossing in this location and so we will ensure that is considered in line with our criteria and reported to the council’s neighbourhood services committee for a decision.

"This request is in addition to the previous decision to install a new crossing on Coronation Drive to assisted residents in safely accessing the sea front which is currently being designed.”