TRANSPORT for London is being urged to improve safety at one of Redbridge’s busiest roundabouts.

Residents living near Charlie Brown’s roundabout in South Woodford have been campaigning for pedestrian crossings and traffic lights at a busy junction for over a decade.

They say the road, which is regularly used by people to get to a nearby Tesco, is dangerous.

A £3million plan to put new traffic lights and crossings was put forward by TfL in 2007, but it was shelved two years later after TfL decided it would be too expensive.

Tony Loffhagen, 74, of the Maybank Community Association, which represents residents living near the roundabout, says improvements need to be put back on the agenda.

He spoke at an area two council committee meeting on Tuesday night (September 27), and appealed for councillors to put pressure on TfL to look at the roundabout again.

At that meeting, council officer Cliff Woolnoth, agreed to raise the issue with representatives of TfL and senior advisers to the Mayor of London.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Loffhagen said: “It’s very unnerving crossing the roundabout.

“People going to Tesco take their lives in their hands getting across the road.

“A pedestrian crossing from Chigwell Road to Woodford Avenue would make a big difference.”

Mr Loffhagen was prompted to attend Tuesday’s meeting after hearing that TfL had provided Redbridge with a £250,000 grant to improve cycling links in the borough.

He added: “I think we should be spending this cycling money on other areas.

“Cycling is very healthy, but there are more urgent priorities.”

Roding Ward councillor and Deputy Mayoress Felicity Banks also says TfL should revisit plans to improve safety at the roundabout.

She told the Guardian: “This is more urgent than the cycle paths.

“There have been three bad crashes on the roundabout in recent months.

“One car went through the fence of a house on Chigwell Road a few weeks back.

“At the beginning of September the fire brigade had to cut someone out of a car after a crash.”

She added: “When we asked TfL if we could plant some daffodils in the middle of the roundabout, they told us it was too dangerous for people to cross two lanes of traffic to get to the middle.

“I asked how they expected people to cross six lanes to get to Tesco in that case.”

The Guardian is awaiting a comment from TfL.

Click here to follow the Wanstead & Woodford Guardian on Twitter