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The view from the western side of the road taken at a child's eye-level and showing the start of the recessed parking area.

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After years of negotiation, frustration and planning, the residents of Stoke have at long last a pedestrian cross-ing at the shopping centre on the main road. But, it would appear, there are still causes for complaint. While taking these pix, we spoke to several Stoke shoppers and their unanimous view was that the crossing was sited in the wrong place. These pictures seem to bear out their contention. We noticed, also, that traffic using the main road more often than not drove at the maximum permissible speed up to and through the crossing and we gained the impression that for the unwary the crossing could be dangerous. Because of a recessed parking area on the western side, users of the pedestrian crossing, especially children, have no clear view of approaching traffic until past the line of parked vehicles. It is even worse for the north-bound motorist. On the eastern side, a bus stop very close to the crossing, obscures the view of pedestrian and motorist alike (left).