I enclose the attached letter dated 21 August 2000 which a recent Email message suggests you may not have received! However, as an active pedestrian, I wish to take this opportunity to make further observations and suggestions set out below.

  Despite the professed and laudable objectives of the Transport White Paper, the resulting national walking strategy, appears to be a recipe for no substantive action and will neither significantly improve the environment nor increase safety for pedestrians on the ground. Furthermore, the UK accident record in this category is relatively poor in the EU.

  Sheffield has a significant (but largely unmonitored!) level of pedestrian activity. May I suggest the following measures that should help promote walking, by both reducing impedance and improving safety for all pedestrians (including the disabled) yet would be relatively cheap to implement (especially 1 and 2). However, some minor amendments to legislation may be necessary. These are as follows:

1.  Amend legislation, where necessary, to introduce mandatory precedence for pedestrians at ALL marked pedestrian crossings, so that in the event of collision between a motorist (or cyclist) and a pedestrian, primary liability lies with the driver.

2.  Initiate a rolling programme of "zebra" road markings across at least the minor roads at ALL minor/major road junctions (these already operate successfully in France). For priority these could be applied to areas surrounding schools, homes for the elderly etc.

3.  Progressively introduce "STOP" signs at ALL minor cross road junctions and at all junctions NOT already fitted with traffic light controlled pedestrian crossings.

4.  Set "default" aspects to pedestrian priority for lights at signal controlled junctions.

5.  Introduce 20 mph (36 kph) speed restrictions along ALL Routes (including trunk roads) within 400m of school entrances.

  I shall look forward to receiving your considered and sympathetic response to these observations and suggestions.

16 October 2000