A 10 year battle by a 83-year-old senior citizen to improve safety for pedestrians on Greenford Road in Greenford has seen traffic lights replace a zebra crossing after years of dangerous incidents occurring.
Campaigner Dee Riley, 83, has been battling for improvements after her husband Bobby was nearly hit by a car being driven through the former zebra crossing in 2014. The crossing links nearby Cowgate Estate with schools, a local community centre and the British Legion.
Since 2014, Mrs Riley has been active in getting Ealing Council and Transport for London to replace the zebra crossing with traffic lights and has collected many thousands of signatures to raise awareness of the need for the change.
The new traffic lights crossing finally opened just before Christmas on 19 December 2024.
Speaking to MyLondon, Mrs Riley said that after a tireless decade of campaigning: “I’m delighted we can finally feel safe crossing this road.”
Central Greenford Councillor Aysha Raza helped to support Mrs Riley and her husband.
In a posting on 20 December 2024, Councillor Raza said: “Dee & Bobby campaigned for a safe pelican crossing on the #Greenford Road for a decade, finally it was made fully operational yesterday afternoon & everyone is thrilled! Thank you @TfL @ealingcouncil we are ecstatic!”
