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The boss of the biggest business bordering the Millennium Town Park says he would be willing to take part in talks to improve road safety in the area.
The CI Co-op was criticised for not attending a public meeting last week, which was called by residents and campaigners following the death in June of toddler Clinton Pringle - he was hit by van on one of the roads to the side of the park. But Co-op Chief Executive, Colin Macleod said he didn't go along simply because he wasn't invited, but he would be willing to take part in future discussions on how to make the area safer.
At the meeting, residents agreed to lobby the parish to close the roads bordering the park with access-controlled barriers, as they feared that motorists were using them as rat-runs, and it was only a matter of time before another child was hurt.
The meeting was told that closing the roads had been in the original plans for the park in the mid-nineties, but it hadn't happened because businesses in the area were worried about how it would affect their trade and access.
The Co-Op Grande Marche is the biggest business currently trading close to the park, but Mr Macleod believes that before the current road set-up was created five years ago about 17-20% of drivers used Gas Place to access the supermarket. But, he now thinks that has dropped considerably. He believes most drivers come to the shop off the ring road. He’s keen to see the parish or Infrastructure Department monitor the road, and says depending on the results he’d be willing to discuss any safety improvement suggestions.
Three-year-old Clinton Pringle who was on holiday in the island, was heading towards the park when he was involved in a collision with a car at the Robin Place – Tunnel Street junction. He was flown to Southampton General Hospital for treatment but died a few days after the accident.
Since the accident signs have been put up warning drivers and pedestrians to take care, but campaigners say that is not enough.
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