GLASTONBURY residents fear it is “inevitable that someone will get killed” if a new crossing is not delivered over one of the town’s busiest roads.

The A39 Street Road runs through the western side of Glastonbury, separating the Millstream housing estate and much of the town’s sports facilities from the local Tesco supermarket and other businesses within the Wirral Park area.

The Glastonbury Safe Crossings Campaign is demanding action from Somerset Council to make the road safer, including the delivery of a new crossing just south of the junction with Ranger Road.

The council said it was open to working with the town council to design improvements which could be implemented when funding became available.

The Glastonbury Safe Crossings Campaign held its first public meeting in the town on January 16, with residents sharing their experiences of the road, which joins the busy A361 at the Wirral Park roundabout.

Campaign group member Susannah Clemence said: “Attendees told us that walking the half-kilometre each way alongside the A39 to the nearest controlled crossing is not a safe or pleasant option.

“Two people reported very recent near-misses, when speeding drivers drove across the pavements where they were walking, and crashed through barriers.

“A third resident of the Millstream estate said a lorry had ended up in her own back garden.

“Knowing anecdotally that such incidents are frequent, we have resolved to seek official data on crashes near this spot, as any out-of-control vehicle could hit a nearby pedestrian or even a resident of Millstream in their own home.”

Residents living within the Millstream estate currently have to rely on an unmarked crossing near the roundabout to access the local businesses, with the nearest signal-controlled pedestrian crossing lying almost half a mile away, near Benedict Street.

Bev Coggan, who helped to organise the meeting, told those assembled that it was “not practical” to walk around the road with her five grandchildren.

Ms Clemence added: “We heard that many schoolchildren, older people and people with dogs constantly attempt to cross the road here, to get where they need to go, and frequent close shaves have been seen, as well as many accidents.

“It seems inevitable that someone will get killed unless a controlled crossing is put in soon.”

Ms Clemence said that delivering a new crossing near Ranger Road would make life easier for local residents and make the gateway to the town more attractive for visitors and potential investors.

She explained: “Visitors are already complaining about the inhospitable walking environment around the Travelodge and the Premier Inn, due to heavy traffic and narrow pavements which place walkers too close to fast cars, or disappear completely, leaving walkers stranded on the carriageway.

“This is made worse by fences and barriers preventing people cutting away from the busy road.

“We would strongly support a light-controlled pedestrian crossing from near the Ranger Road junction to KFC, together with a proper wheelchair-friendly surfaced path down the nearby bank, where people naturally need to walk.

“We also need stronger measures to reinforce the legal pedestrian priority at the exits from the B&Q roundabout.

“We will continue to lobby county and town councillors to get the project under way.”

Mendip District Council completed a local cycling and walking infrastructure plan (LCWIP) before its abolition in April 2023, laying out a series of improvements which should be prioritised across the former district.

In Glastonbury, the LCWIP identifies the need for a new crossing near the Ranger Road junction and improvements to the Wirral Park roundabout to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Somerset Council said it was happy to work with the town council and local residents to deliver improvements, but added that external funding would be needed to make this happen.

A spokesman said: “We are always happy to look into concerns raised by the community and have discussed this location with local council members, the local community network and Glastonbury Town Council.

“Our team would be happy to work with the town council to undertake investigative works, if funding for the project can be identified, as we have done in many communities across Somerset.”