“If a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle travelling at 40mph – 90% of people do not survive”

Dear friends, colleagues, supporters and neighbours of Dawlish Gardens Trust Please help us to protect the well-being and the safety of our service users.We need your support urgently!

ABOUT US?

At Dawlish Gardens Trust, we have been ‘growing abilities’ for attendees’ with additional needs for over 30 years.As we have grown and blossomed over time, we have established a well-respected status as an essential service provider offering supervised working opportunities on our site, 5 days a week, to over 145 vulnerable adults throughout Devon. Opportunities include Horticulture, Ground maintenance, Animal care, Woodwork, Arts, Crafting and Cooking. In addition to our multiple onsite activities, we provide regular services within the local community, offering working parties to support local projects, such as strimming in church grounds and tending to public flower beds and borders.

Embracing all abilities in every way, part of our ethos is to celebrate achievement and encourage independence. Included in this, is independent travel to and from work, seeing many attendees traveling from Teignbridge, Exeter, Torbay, Mid Devon and further afield.

Many of our service users use public transport to get to and from work each day. Some by train, but most by bus, as the stops are conveniently placed either side of the 40mph carriage way, adjacent to our site, just off Exeter Road on the A379, on the busy approach into Dawlish.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

Sensory, hearing & visual impairments, limited mobility and delayed processing are just a few of the challenges that many of our service users encounter.Crossing a 40mph very busy road with no safety measures in place is causing us great concern. Worryingly, we have now had to start to record any struggles, near misses and calls for assistance, so that we have a log of the difficulties that our service users are experiencing.

WHAT ACTION HAVE WE TAKEN SO FAR?

We have raised our serious concerns with the Local Council and with Devon Highways, asking for urgent attention to this matter. Unfortunately, the response is pretty standard...that road crossings cost a lot of money, and unless there have been some recorded ‘vehicle vs pedestrian’ accidents in the area, then there is not any consideration at this stage!

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Local MP Martin Wrigley and Councillor Rosie Dawson have both visited us on site and have compassionately listened to our concerns. Both are in full support of our application for safety measures to be put in place as soon as possible and are ready to offer whatever support they can.

In addition, we have actively sought a visit from a Road Safety Officer from Devon & Cornwall Police to come and give an independent assessment of the highway crossing. 

HOW DO WE PROCEED? 

We are appealing for enough public support to sign our petition so that we can appeal for a crossing to be reviewed and re-considered.We understand that reducing a speed limit, or inserting a full road crossing is unlikely so we plan to request the following:

1* Apply for a ‘pedestrian refuge island’ to be installed in the centre of the 2-way carriage way - this would give our attendees time to navigate one direction of traffic, pause,then navigate across the other direction of traffic.

2* Installation of a solar charged ‘vehicle activated’ sign to remind drivers of the speed limit.

HOW CAN YOU HELP US?

We do not want a serious ‘incident’, with potentially fatal consequences, to happen before any action is taken!Please take a few minutes to sign our petition, every single signature will help.

Thank you in advance.

DAWLISH GARDENS TRUST,

Port Road, Dawlish, EX7 0NX