New safety measures along Hartlepool's Jesmond Gardens and West View Road following serious accidents

Along Jesmond Gardens, which leads on to Jesmond Road, pedestrian “build outs” are to be provided at junctions with Chatham Road and Challoner Road to “make crossing safer” for pedestrians.

Carriageway centre-line realignment works will also take place to provide clearer traffic lanes and to “help encourage slower speeds”.

Elsewhere, in West View Road, between Brus roundabout and Cleveland Road, work will take place to install a “raised platform” at the junction with Heortnesse Road while additional “tactile crossings” will be included at appropriate locations.

Dropped curbs will also be installed on the section further north towards the Brus roundabout to improve crossing facilities and safety.

Meanwhile short sections of guard rail will be placed across footpaths leading out from the Central Estate to “funnel pedestrians away from dangerous sections of the road for crossing”.

Accident data from Hartlepool Borough Council states the West View Road and Jesmond Gardens areas benefiting from the improvements have each seen two “serious” and two “slight” accidents over the last five years.

The schemes will total approximately £140,000, with the funds coming from the authority’s Local Transport Plan.

It comes after the proposals were unanimously approved at the latest meeting of the neighbourhood services committee.

Kieran Bostock, council assistant director for neighbourhood services, speaking at the meeting, said the level of demand for safety schemes “far outstrips” the budget allocation for such projects.

Officers therefore develop a preferred list of schemes based on factors such as accident data, proximity to schools, areas of high pedestrian usage and community concerns raised.

Mr Bostock said: “The reasons for the recommendations are to reduce casualties and improve road safety in Hartlepool and to allow for the prioritisation of schemes when demand exceeds the budget.”

The Jesmond Gardens work is estimated to cost £80,000 and the West View Road scheme £60,000.

Any savings will be put back into the Local Transport Plan to help deliver further projects.

Consultation will be undertaken on all schemes where residents and businesses are directly affected and should any objections be received they will be reported back before the committee.