RESIDENTS living near one of the busiest roads in Ipswich could be about to see victory in their four-year campaign for a new pelican crossing.Ipswich Council's executive committee is this week being urged to approve a new crossing on the Colchester Road in the town, next to the Rushmere Road roundabout.

RESIDENTS living near one of the busiest roads in Ipswich could be about to see victory in their four-year campaign for a new pelican crossing.

Ipswich Council's executive committee is this week being urged to approve a new crossing on the Colchester Road in the town, next to the Rushmere Road roundabout.

Local residents first started campaigning for a crossing on the site in March 1999 – and although the proposal was backed by the council, no funding was available.

The proposal was then re-considered 18 months ago, but a decision was delayed while a full survey of the road was underway.

The report to the borough's executive committee tomorrow recognises that the current number of people crossing the road does not justify a crossing there.

However it would be consistent with the council's policy of encouraging people to walk more.

Some objections have been received from local residents who fear that a new crossing at the roundabout will create more congestion – and the council accepts this could happen for a short time at rush hours.

"The decision on whether or not to provide a pelican crossing is a difficult one to balance," the council report says.

However a meeting of local councillors from both Labour and Conservative parties and officials from the borough engineers' department unanimously decided the crossing should be built.

If the executive agrees, the crossing could be installed towards the end of the year.