"Kill your speed and not a child": New College Worcester launch campaign over road safety concerns for blind students
Several near misses have happened between cars at students at the Whittington Road roundabout
Last updated 31st Jan 2022
A blind college has launched a campaign over safety concerns of visually impaired students using the pelican crossing at the Whittington Road roundabout.
It follows several incidents where students from New College Worcester (NCW)have nearly been hit by cars.
Incidents include drivers stopping over the crossing when the traffic lights are red and others driving straight through a red light.
"It's really knocked my confidence"
15-year-old Rico was practicing the route from the college to Waitrose in preparation for his road mobility and safety test.
"We were crossing the pelican and someone ran through a red light", says Rico.
"Obviously I got pulled back but after that it put me off from going to the crossing.
"It really knocked my confidence."
Several students have had near misses recently, including 18-year-old Martha.
"I got to the crossing, pushed the button and had my hand on the spinning cone under the signal box", she explains.
"I'm right-handed so I use my long cane with my right hand, so I swapped it from my left hand to my right hand ready to cross the road - and then a car just went through the lights.
"If I hadn't swapped hands or stepped off the pacvement when the cone stopped spinning when it's supposed to be safe then the car would have hit me".
Martha says incidents like this are happening more often.
"I was talking to some of my friends and everybody had a story about this.
"There were about six of us and every single person had a story or multiple stories of this exact thing happening.
"The frightening thing is how normalised it has become."
The campaign
NCW are hoping to raise awareness so local residents, schools, colleges, and others using the road are more aware of the students using the crossing.
They are also calling for speed awareness asigns and speed cameras to put installed along the Whittington Road on the approach to the roundabout.
Principal of NCW Nic Ross said “Teaching our students to navigate roads and pedestrian crossings independently is a crucial part of their learning at NCW and it is imperative they are able to learn safely.
"The students can't get themselves out of the way, they can't see the danger so drivers have got to slow down and follow the law.
"Education is really important about who we are at NCW".
A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: “We have been liaising with New College Worcester for a while now regarding their concerns about the safety of their students when using the nearby crossing on Whittington Road.
"Last year, after concerns were raised by the college that their visually-impaired students could not distinguish the crossing points due to the poor quality of the crossing surface, we took the opportunity to make the crossing safer for students and the wider community and renewed the footway and tactile paving.
"We have also increased the duration of the green light at that crossing for pedestrians. giving all users of that crossing more time to cross. Through our discussions, we are aware of the colleges ongoing concerns regarding speed along what is one of the busiest stretches of road in Worcester. "