A CROSSING is to be installed on the A22 in Kenley after a three-year campaign to make the road safer.
An accident in September 2010 was the catalyst for the campaign for a safer crossing at the junction between the A22 main road and Hayes Lane.
The group, called Kenley Needs A Crossing (KNAC), handed Transport for London a petition of more than 2,000 signatures, which kickstarted a consultation.
Lynn Stanley, group chairman, said she was delighted that a new crossing was to be put in on April 3 and that their long battle was nearly over.
She said: "I walk down the A22 every day and at least every other car makes the speeding sign flash. It's a fast road and safety for our children has been a number one concern.
"Schoolchildren always cross the road in big groups and you see them bunched up in the middle of the road with all the traffic. It's terrifying to watch them."
The stretch opposite the Co-op is crossed daily by pupils from six different infant, junior and senior schools in the immediate area.
TfL ruled out a zebra crossing or traffic lights because of the level of traffic and space.
Instead, it plans to expand the pedestrian refuge island in the middle of the road, widen the pavement on the Riddlesdown Common side, and paint new road markings to reduce speeds.
Chris Stanley, a member of the Kenley and District Residents' Association, said they had been particularly worried about pedestrians using the bus stop who often had no room to stand on the narrow pavement.
He said: "Whether this new crossing will solve the problem completely is questionable but it will help slow the traffic down at least."
However, cyclists are not happy with the planned crossing and fear it will make the road even more dangerous.
Austen Cooper, head of Croydon Cycling Campaign: "We are against this half-baked measure.
"By making the pedestrian refuge bigger in the middle of the crossing, the road will become narrower and be far more dangerous for cyclists."
