THE SO-CALLED ‘Town Development Advisory Group’ is to debate a draft report concluding there should be traffic lights and a cycle contra flow lane at a notorious junction in Petersfield.

As one of its projects, the group – formerly a ‘committee’ but renamed to avoid meeting face-to-face – is looking at how safety can be improved at junctions across the town.

The survey comes after deaths at the pedestrian crossing on Dragon Street (January 26, 2016), at the Durford Road crossroads (July 24, 2020) and at the junction of Charles Street, The Spain and Swan Street (January 9, 2019).

Despite claiming safety improvements on junctions is fatality-led, the roads authority Hampshire County Council has made no major safety improvements to-date at the junctions, despite years of campaigning by residents and councillors.

On Friday the advisory group will hear the junction of Charles Street, The Spain, and Swan Street suffers from poor visibility, hard to complete turns in a tight space, and needs a pavement on the corner where Petersfield Forge is.

The junction is also part of a ‘rat run’ with drivers avoiding the level crossing at Petersfield rail station, which increases traffic on three of the four roads that meet at the junction.

The report says: “Pedestrians and cyclists are dominated by the vehicles and come off worse due to their vulnerability.”

It concludes by saying: “Efforts should be made to provide a footpath on the South West corner (by The Forge).

“But the main proposal to assist the movement of cyclists in particular through the junction would be to install traffic control signals (traffic lights), and a contra flow cycle lane between the junction and The Square.

“From a pedestrian point of view it would be beneficial to complete the footway past the forge, and this should be explored.”

The draft report by Petersfield resident Keith Hopper and Gethin Morgan-Owen on behalf of the advisory group will be modified after the meeting if needed.

Residents wishing to watch the Zoom meeting starting at 3pm on July 2 are asked to email the council for the password before midday on the day of the meeting at [email protected]