Bognor High Street now an '˜accident waiting to happen'

Bognor's newly opened High Street has been labelled '˜an accident waiting to happen' by people who say they've seen several near misses.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Aug 2016, 12:42 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 18:05 BST

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There have been reports of near misses between buses and pedestrians on Bognors newly paved High Street roadThere have been reports of near misses between buses and pedestrians on Bognors newly paved High Street road
There have been reports of near misses between buses and pedestrians on Bognors newly paved High Street road

Two people have separately told the Observer they were close to being struck by a bus, having not realised the newly paved road is not now completely pedestrianised.

One man said he was ‘inches away’ from being hit, after stepping onto the road without realising he needed to look, while Annie Zmich said she was left ‘frightened’ after an incident.

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Annie said: “I was crossing the road and I didn’t even look because I thought it was pedestrian-only.

“Then I heard the sound of a bus coming and I had to get out of the way quickly.

“It scared me because I’m registered disabled, I can’t move my legs all that quick. Luckily I heard it but what if it was someone with hearing problems?”

Melissa Woods, who owns Worx Hair and Beauty on the High Street, said she raised safety fears months ago.

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“It’s an accident waiting to happen, it’s so dangerous,” she said. “We see it all day every day, buses coming down and people just stepping out into the road not knowing to look.

“Is it going to take an accident for something to change?”

The fully pedestrianised shopping street feeds straight onto the newly paved High Street, and concerns have been raised about a ‘lack of signs’ warning shoppers.

A West Sussex County Council spokesman said: “We are carrying out a road safety audit in the coming weeks as part of the scheme. This matter will be part of that process. “We are also working closely with the local bus companies to ensure pedestrian safety.”

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