I was fined £130 by council after painting my own zebra crossing on busy road – I did a better job than they did
A PENSIONER who painted his own zebra crossing onto a busy road has been fined £130 by the council.
Laurie Phillips, 79, painted six rectangular blocks on the road outside his home in Dorset after repeated requests for an official zebra crossing went unanswered by officials.
The retired psychotherapist insists his crossing – which he painted in August 2020 – was “dramatically safer” for pedestrians with motorists respecting it and letting people cross.
However, after just four days, council staff washed it away and Laurie was fined a hefty £130 for his DIY act.
The pensioner, a retired psychotherapist, was interviewed by police over allegations of criminal damage.
Now, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has painted three ‘slow’ signs on the road.
Laurie has blasted the council’s “heavy-handed” response to his actions as an “over-reaction”.
He said: “It is just ironic that they washed away the signs that I made, saying they weren’t necessary, and 18 months later they are now painting their own signs.
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“It is better than nothing, but not much better, as nearly all the cars are still not slowing down.
“I think I did a better job of it first time around – my markings were broader and took up more of the road.
“Not many people are going to reduce their speed for a slow sign, they’ll only do it if there is a speed limit change or a speed camera.”
He added: “Looking back on how I was treated after the temporary zebra crossing, the council were very heavy-handed, it was an over-reaction and it could have been handled much more sensibly.
“The prosecution was a complete waste of valuable police time, and caused unnecessary stress through many delays in the process to me and my wife.”
Laurie – who also started a 100-signature petition for a zebra crossing – was issued with a community resolution order which he did not fight in the courts as it was “not worth the hassle”.
He said his 77-year-old wife Estelle, who uses a mobility scooter, and other disabled residents were being discriminated against under the Equality Act 2010.
Mudeford Quay is popular with visitors and as many as 5,000 cars a day use the road.
BCP Council said the “slow” line markings will keep both road users and pedestrians safe.
A council spokesperson said: “The ‘slow’ line markings were installed following discussions around what can be done to keep both road users and pedestrians safe on Chichester Way.
“We are pleased that this has been completed by our lining team as it is still an active safety measure whilst crossing requests are reviewed.”
The council has received a request to install a zebra crossing and will look into the measure soon.
“We can confirm a crossing request has been submitted for this area. We have many requests to assess but we aim to conduct a site visit in the coming months around April or May.
“By ‘assess’ we mean visiting the site for a number of hours physically counting all vehicle traffic and pedestrians crossing.
“We need to carry out these assessments at the busiest time possible, which means we will carry out our visit here when we expect warmer weather and more visitors.”