Residents of a care home in Orpington have claimed that they "have to take a taxi to reach a church on the other side of the road".
Maureen Perrin has lived at Knoll Court Retirement Home on Station Road in Orpington for three and a half years.
She says Station Road has always been busy, serving as a main road with a speed limit of 30 mph.
However, many people living in her retirement home, as well as those in Churchill Retirement Home next door, are now struggling to cross the road because the nearest crossings are a long walk away.
“Everyone’s older and slower,” Maureen told the News Shopper, “some of my neighbours go to the church across the road and now have to get a taxi because they can’t cross.”
Maureen has sent emails to Bromley Council requesting a pedestrian crossing but says her request has been rejected.
She claims that the minister at the church and residents at Churchill Retirement Home have also complained to the council, yet they have been rejected each time.
Maureen explained: “To cross the road safely, residents must either walk down to the bottom of the hill towards the war memorial or up to The Maxwell Pub, which means crossing a one-way road where cars come shooting around the corner.
“We’ve got somebody here who’s 98 and still mobile, and someone who’s 96 and still mobile, but they can’t walk across the road quickly enough.”
She added: “I feel that we’re being discriminated against. It’s just stupid. I can’t see how one zebra crossing is going to make a little difference.”
A spokesperson for Bromley Council said it is “not a case” of nothing being done, as the council has applied and received funding from TfL to carry out the “necessary study”.
The spokesperson added: “This includes the surveys to see if a crossing should be considered for Station Road to serve all pedestrians crossing in the vicinity of Orpington Baptist Church, including those living in the retirement homes.
“If this work concludes that a refuge or other type of crossing is a good idea, a bid will be made to TfL later this year for funds for the crossing, to be installed next year.”
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