Cox and other Southend councillors in totally ignoring well-founded public fears over the fact that the City Beach revamp scheme has no pedestrian crossings or warning signs (May 2) is totally beyond belief, even for Southend Council.

The obvious question has to be asked: Just how many pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries will have to happen before Southend councillors admit they were wrong and change their minds?

On one side of the scheme are the amusements, on the other the water fountains, so obviously large numbers of people, including small children, will be eagerly crossing the road from one attraction to the other.

Furthermore, “the thinking behind the scheme” that drivers will be forced to automatically slow down to allow people to cross is obviously flawed because the very same councillors now want to introduce average speed cameras to enforce the 20mph limit.

Surely, if their claim that motorists will automatically slow down to allow pedestrians to cross is correct, there is no need for the cameras.

Finally, if councillors think it is safe and acceptable for vehicles travelling in both directions to merely slow down (rather than stop) to allow pedestrians to cross in front of them, then this really is a naive as well as a fatal attitude.

I hope they will all be able to sleep at nights after the inevitable happens.

Alan Davison
Lower Lambricks
Rayleigh

...Southend, the Nasty Council, must be rubbing its hands with glee.

A 20mph speed limit along the seafront. What a brilliant revenue raiser against the criminal motorists.

In the summer, when the seafront is busy and with the narrowed road shared with pedestrians, it would be difficult to reach a speed of 20mph.

But here is the rub.

Early morning, late evening and night drivers going to work or returning will have difficulty lowering their speed to 20mph on an open road.

The Nasty Council will notch up another victory to pedestrianise the entire seafront.

Len Lierens
Southchurch Road
Southend