SAFETY improvements have now been made around gas works on the A354 Weymouth Way near Southill after a public petition calling for action attracted more than 640 signatures.

Campaigner Pete Barrow told borough councillors on Thursday that public safety should have been considered when a pedestrian crossing was first taken out of action, not as an afterthought.

He said he was now worried that the works to repair a gas leak under the road could stretch into the summer and urged distribution company, SGN, to get on with the job before traffic levels increased with the rise in visitors to the area.

The Echo reported Mr Barrow's petition earlier this week, as he expressed fears that someone could be killed attempting to cross the busy carriageway.

Mr Barrow told the council meeting that he had almost been hit by a driver as he tried to cross the road while walking from Southill into the town centre – the driver choosing to accelerate and sound his horn, rather than slow down.

He said that the pedestrian crossing was put in for good reason and had led to an increase in people walking and cycling to and from Weymouth town centre with benefits for the environment and people's health. He feared that because it was out of action and was likely to be so for several weeks, if not months, it would put people off using the route.

The temporary arrangements now in place involve reducing the road access to the roundabout to one lane, giving pedestrians a chance to cross between waiting vehicles.

Other measures may be introduced once the work on the gas main starts, the date of which has yet to be agreed.

SGN is anticipating that it will be better to replace the section of broken gas main, rather than make a repair. The work expected to take between six and eight weeks to complete.