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Father's death after puffin crossing crash behind road safety call

Cooper family Mr Cooper with his daughter Beverley who has started the petitionCooper family
Ken Cooper with his daughter Beverley who has started the petition

A woman is calling for road safety improvements after her elderly father died following an accident in an East Devon village.

Ken Cooper, 93, died in 2020 after he was struck by car while he was using a puffin crossing in Newton Poppleford.

His daughter Beverley Raw has started an online petition for a 20mph limit and better lighting.

Devon County Council said it was looking at a range of measures to improve road safety in the village.

It said it was also looking at the suggestions highlighted by the family.

Mr Cooper was running an errand posting Christmas cards for his wife when he was hit by the car on his return crossing of the A3052 on 23 December 2020.

He died in hospital on 26 December.

The crossing where Mr Cooper was hit by the car on the A3052
The crossing where Mr Cooper was hit by the car on the A3052

"I want to stop other people having to suffer in the way my family did," Ms Raw said.

She has started a petition online calling for Devon County Council to improve the crossing and pavements.

"Dad's death was preventable. The blame rests entirely with the crossing."

Cooper family Ms Raw with her fatherCooper family
Ms Raw (L) is calling for improvements to lighting and pavements and more crossings on the A3052 where her father Mr Cooper (R) was crossing

Ms Raw said her father had pressed the crossing button and waited for the car to stop.

"The green man turned to a red man when he was on the crossing.

"He was walking too slowly for those sensors to pick him up, the car coming the other way didn't see him, it's not the driver's fault it's the fault of the crossing and the lights.

"He died in 2020 and we are still waiting, it's a Russian roulette of who's going to get hit next."

The parish council has applied to Devon County Council for a reduction in speed throughout the village to 20mph and are awaiting the outcome.

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Which crossing?

  • Zebra crossings: Black and white zig-zag road markings on the road and flashing yellow beacons either side of the crossing.
  • Pelican crossing: Traffic is controlled by lights. Pressing a button changes the traffic lights, after a timed delay. Pedestrians cross when the green man illuminates and the green man starts flashing when it's time to finish crossing
  • Puffin crossing: Unlike a Pelican crossing this doesn't have a flashing green man for pedestrians or a flashing amber light for drivers. The traffic lights will only turn green once there are no more pedestrians on the crossing, which is detected by sensors
  • Toucan crossings: Made to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross at the same time - playfully named toucan to explain that the 'Two can' cross
  • Pegasus crossing: Like a toucan crossing, but horse riders can cross too. These crossings have 2 buttons at different heights

Source: theaa.com

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