Borough’s first parallel crossing revealed!

Haslingden Road in Blackburn has welcomed a new addition for walkers and cyclists to cross the road safely.  

Do you know what a parallel crossing is? With the first one in the borough already built and more expected, you will now! It allows walkers and cyclists to cross on a combined crossing, that looks like a standard zebra crossing. However next to it, there’s a zebra marked with a broken white line for cyclists to cross too.

With the new Keepmoat housing development being built across the road from the Royal Blackburn Hospital, highway improvements have been delivered to support it, paid by the developer of the housing estate, which includes the parallel crossing. This will not only benefit the new development, but also benefits existing developments in the area; and has been welcomed by local residents.

This crossing is crucial to support residents and employees from the hospital who walk or cycle or use public transport, to stay safe while crossing Haslingden Road.

The design and build of the parallel crossing was led by the council, and the aim is to build many more across the borough. Encouraging active travel (including walking, cycling and wheeling) is a big priority for the council, with ambitions to connect different areas of Blackburn and Darwen so that residents have the confidence to leave their car at home. In this case, the crossing connects walkers and cyclists to the South East of Blackburn, from Blackburn town centre to Guide.

Councillor Quesir Mahmood, Executive Member for Growth and Development said:

I’m really pleased to see this project come to fruition. It’s important that we make our borough safe and inclusive for everyone and with the new housing development opposite this offers a method for residents to travel actively to and from the hospital, as well as others who may be travelling further.

If you come across the parallel crossing while driving on your journeys, remember to look out for walkers or cyclists waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them do so.