Blind Woman Calls for Better Road Safety in Bramley
A grandmother living opposite a primary school in Bramley is launching a campaign to make the roads in the area safer, after a series of incidents made her scared to leave her home.
Norma Robertson - who also has difficulties with her hearing - has set up a petition to get additional safety measures installed on Swinnow Road.
“It’s frustrating because I’ve got a very good guide dog," Norma says.* *
"She’s excellent at what she does. But if an idiot comes off of the road onto the path what can she do for me? I’ve had cars cutting in front of me while I’ve been crossing over.
“I listen for the traffic to slow down. If they don’t slow down, my foot doesn’t go forward. I can’t just trust the bleeps because some of the cars are travelling so fast.”
“Drivers come up Swinnow Road to get to Pudsey and they’re driving like they’re still on the ring road. And there are two crossings there for schools. The council obviously can’t be responsible for the speed of the drivers so make them pay for it with a speed camera. It needs something doing.”
Norma began a similar petition after a crash in 2012, which attracted hundreds of signatures. But she believes the situation hasn’t improved:
“At the bus stop just down from where I live, a car went careering off the road into the garden of a gentleman. That was ten minutes after I’d just come in. I’d just got my guide dog, and I’m thinking ‘it’s a jungle out there, I’m not safe. Why did I want to go out there in the first place?’
“They haven’t done enough on this road to make it safe so I’m now starting my campaign to make it safe. The council don’t realise just how bad the road is.”
In a statement, a Leeds City Council spokesman said: “We take all matters relating to resident safety near our road network very seriously. We have installed a number of safety measures on Swinnow Road and we would invite residents to contact us to discuss any further ongoing concerns.”