HOPES of seeing a pedestrian crossing installed along a busy road in Wellington look to have been scuppered.

Cllr Mark Lithgow told members of Wellington Town Council’s economic development committee on October 16 that a crossing was needed in the vicinity of St John’s Church for the safety of pedestrians.

The idea had been mooted in town council meetings before – dating back five or so years – but nothing had happened for a crossing between St John’s Primary School and St John’s Church in Taunton Road.

Cllr Lithgow said: “Although I don’t disagree that the town needs a good tidy-up, but we need to look at the safety aspects of the town as well.

“I think that getting a pedestrian crossing installed in the area of St John’s Church would be a good place to start.”

It was agreed that town council officers would look at the proposed crossing project again and get up-to-date costings.

But town clerk Dave Farrow later told the Wellington Weekly News that the traffic management department at Somerset Council – which would deal with crossings – had come back with disappointing news.

“They sent me a copy of email which they had sent to the chairman of governors at St John’s School back in 2021 saying they had conducted a feasibility study into a request previously made for a crossing,” said Mr Farrow. “They’d told the chairman that it wasn’t deemed possible to install a crossing point between the school and the church.

“The main reasons for this were that a zebra crossing would negatively impact on flow of traffic and a controlled pedestrian crossing would necessitate the re-siting of a bus stop and that was felt to have a greater value.”

Mr Farrow said that this information had now been shared with members of the town council’s economic development committee.

Cllr Lithgow had previously suggested that money should be set aside in budget plans for an important pedestrian crossing rather than spend “£18,000 on a few lights and baubles for a one-night only event” in reference to a proposed event to be held next year at Wellington Park.