When planning permission was granted in 2013 for the new Aldi store in Gateacre Park Drive, it was on condition that various 'off-site' highway improvements were made. These were to include an upgraded zebra crossing (our plea for a pelican crossing having been rejected) on a raised 'table' level with the adjacent pavements. This would have been in conjunction with speed bumps along the whole length of Gateacre Park Drive, up as far as Woolton Road.

Together with local residents, we campaigned against the proposed speed bumps, and as a result the City Council decided to abandon that part of the scheme - along with the 20mph speed limit that was to accompany it. Since that time, nothing at all has been done to the zebra crossing. The surface is potholed, the white stripes are patchy and uneven, and the warning signs at the approaches are hardly visible. Local residents have reported several 'near misses' as drivers seem reluctant to stop - or are oblivious to the crossing's existence. The Highways Department's view is that, because the speed bumps plan was abandoned, they cannot force Aldi to pay for any improvements - and there is no alternative source of funding. We are pressing them for a re-think before someone is seriously injured.