An 83-year-old woman has been successful in her campaign to get new traffic lights installed at Greenford Road Junction, in Ealing, after her husband was very nearly hit by a car at the zebra crossing 10 years ago.

Throughout the decade since, Dee Riley, 83, has gathered thousands of signatures, and kept pressure on Ealing Council.

The new traffic lights, opened on Friday (December 20) on Greenford Road replaces the previous zebra crossing which has seen several incidents.

Dee told the Local Democracy Reporting Service [LDRS] that she decided to start the campaign after her husband suffered 'sleepless nights' and 'flashbacks.'

The campaign had was hit by setbacks caused by Covid and other delays in the last few years.

This meant Dee was surprised by the news when people began calling her to tell her that the traffic lights were going up.

She said: "We saw there were temporary lights there, so we thought they were just moving the zebra crossing down the road.

Then, I got a call from a councillor and a few residents who said 'Dee, your lights are going to go up'.

"It's amazing, and it filled me with absolute joy. I see kids now in their 20s whose parents wouldn't let them cross that road when they were younger because it was so dangerous.

"Every time there was a meeting on with councillors, and neighbourhood forums I would always bring the zebra crossing up, and I had the full support of the residents attending.

"I'm delighted we can finally feel safe crossing this road."

The new traffic lights opened on December 20 (credit: Aysha Raza).

Dee told the LDRS that this couldn't have happened without the support of Councillor Aysha Raza, who 'took the fight to the council and TFL'.

The Cllr told the LDRS since her election a decade ago, Dee has not given up the fight, and in the early days would 'pester' her about how dangerous the crossing was.

She said: "We are so thankful that there is a new crossing. The difference will be huge. On one side is the Cowgate estate, where there is a lot of elderly people living there.

"A lot of those people wouldn't even walk across that zebra crossing to go to the shops.. It was isolating.

"The fact we've had a zebra crossing and people were still getting hit on it really does affect people's confidence. It's a huge relief to know that that traffic will be stopped and you can have ample time to cross."

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