WORK is due to start next month to improve a busy town centre road junction.

The county council is to start work on the junction between Jane Street and Washington Street in Workington on April 4 to improve safety.

Work has recently been completed at the Ramsay Brow junction to raise the height of the pedestrian crossing lights and make the crossing safer as part of the same scheme.

Councillor Joe Holliday, who represents St John’s ward on the town, district and county council, said he had raised the issue of safety at the Ramsay Brow crossing since the pedestrian crossing lights were lowered around five years ago.

He said: “The issue is that the green man light is right next to the crossing, but that is a busy area and if it’s crowded you can’t see it.

“You just have to watch what the person right next to it does, but what if they decide to cross without waiting for the green man? We weren’t able to change them before because the law didn’t allow it.


Joe Holliday “I’m pleased the lights are now higher and on the opposite side of the road, especially because there are a lot more youngsters using that crossing with the increased number of pupils at Workington Academy.”

Work at the Jane Street junction is expected to take around two weeks.

A county council spokesman said: “The replacement of these pedestrian displays is part of a bigger scheme to refurbish and improve safety at the traffic signals at the adjacent junction of Washington Street with Jane Street, where the signals equipment will be renewed as part of proposed maintenance and improvement works.

“As the work at Jane Street included the replacement of the pedestrian displays, it was seen as a sensible step to make the same changes at the Ramsay Brow junction, so both junctions were consistent.

“As the traffic signals at Washington Street have been criticised in the past because of these nearside pedestrian displays, this work was seen as an opportunity to address this particular issue.

“The work for both junctions will total around £45,000 – the work at Ramsay Brow is a small part of the overall scheme, which will be the refurbishment and improvement at Jane Street.”

Coun Holliday added that he was hopeful other pedestrian crossings would be changed, including the ones between Oxford Street and Vulcan’s Lane and the three on Harrington Road.