Rethink needed over pedestrian crossing outside Epsom station (From Surrey Comet)

Surrey County Council rethink over pedestrian crossing outside Epsom station

7:00am Thursday 14th March 2013 in News By Alice Foster, Reporter

Sheila Siggers, Mark Salter and Pete Street

Plans to get rid of a pedestrian crossing outside Epsom Station have been sent back to the drawing board.

Two plans under consideration replace the crossing with a taxi rank directly outside the station, put in a bus stop further up and include off-peak loading areas.

But Surrey County Council's local committee for Epsom and Ewell voted on Monday for these plans to go back to the working group which mean a final decision has been delayed until June.

Sheila Siggers and up to 50 other taxi drivers are demanding to be allowed back outside Epsom Station because the current temporary location is costing them money.

Ms Siggers said: "For safety I think they should get rid of the crossing regardless of where the rank goes.

"I’m absolutely amazed someone has not been knocked over. People just walk straight out at the crossing."

She added that having two pedestrian crossings on the stretch slowed up traffic and was unnecessary.

Two plans put before the Epsom and Ewell local committee included a new taxi rank outside the station and kept the current taxi rank on the other side of the road.

One of the plans also proposed a third taxi rank but the second amended plan allocated the stretch for a pick-up and drop-off area.