In just two days, more than 1,200 people have signed a petition to close down the “hazardous” pedestrian level crossing where schoolboy Jaiden Shehata was killed last month.
‘Avoidable hazard’: the Bourne View level crossing, which locals claim is a danger to the public
The Riddlesdown Collegiate Year 7 pupil died after being hit by a train in “a tragic accident” near Kenley railway station, when he was on his way to school on January 23.
The petition calls for the Bourne View level crossing in Kenley to be closed. “This dear child was not the only casualty that this crossing has claimed,” the petitioners state. “Multiple lives have been lost due to its potential dangers.” It is not known what evidence there is to support such a claim.
The petition says: “This hazardous crossing is directly responsible for the heart-rending grief and the unnecessary loss of precious lives.
“The anguish of losing a child is something no parent should ever have to experience, especially due to an avoidable hazard like this. The fatal incident involving the young boy should serve as a call to action for us all to prevent any more families from experiencing this pain.”
The residential road Bourne View links the A22 south of Kenley Station with Valley Road on the other side of the railway tracks. The pedestrian crossing is a piece of public infrastructure, unstaffed, where people can cross the Caterham to London Bridge line. There is a sign at the crossing that says “Beware of trains”.
Some locals have suggested that sightlines from the crossing are less than ideal.
The petition states that there have been “multiple pleas” by locals to have the level crossing closed. The petitioners ask for the level crossing to be replaced by a bridge or underpass.
“Indifferent to the lurking danger, hundreds of school children, commuters, and locals use this crossing each day, gambling with their safety until it’s too late. For the sake of public interest, the dangerous crossing needs to be permanently closed and replaced with a safer alternative,” the petition says.
“Close the crossing, save lives.”
To view the petition, click here.
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