A WOMAN who was nearly hit on the zebra crossing in Flackwell Heath by a motorist who didn't see her has written to the county council appealing for its "daft" location to be changed.

Alison Mackenzie, 45, of Barleyfields, Wooburn Green, wrote to Bucks County Council (BCC) explaining that drivers are concentrating so hard on turning out of nearby roads such as Old Kiln Road that they do not even see the zebra crossing in Straight Bit.

She said: "Please don't leave it until someone gets mown down before some sort of review is arranged. I have watched an awful lot of people run for their lives over this crossing as I work in an office that overlooks it. It seems like a very daft place to put it and I avoid using it if I can. I have been on it on several occasions and had vehicles drive over it whilst I was in the middle."

Flackwell Heath Residents' Association's Police and Traffic Group have also identified the crossing as one of the village's problem areas.

Craig Lewis, of the police and traffic committee, said: "I have always said that crossing is dangerous where it is."

But BCC, in its response to Miss Mackenzie's complaint, said that it has no plans to change its location.

Anne James, a spokesman for BCC, explained: "As this crossing has been successful in reducing casualties the county council is not currently investigating any further improve-ments.

"The crossing was put in around 2000 as a result of a number of collisions involving pedestrians. Since that time there has been only one pedestrian collision involving a group of high-spirited youths and resulting in a slight casualty."

She added: "The speed limit along that stretch of road is 30mph and there is good visibility for both pedestrians and car drivers. In today's busy road environments drivers have a responsibility to be aware of everything that is going on around and are responsible for ensuring that they take all necessary care, especially with regards to pedestrians."

She added that the three schools in the village, Carrington Infants, Carrington Juniors and Juniper Hill, all had School Travel Plans and none of them had identified the crossing location as a problem.