FELIXSTOWE: Confusion is growing over the news that two of the busiest zebra crossings in the town centre will be abolished under the shared space scheme.

The pedestrian crossings at either end of Hamilton Road, on Cobbold Road near Tesco, and on Orwell Road near Lloyd’s bank, will be removed as part of the redevelopment work going on in the town.

The shared space will give pedestrians and cars equal priority in the area.

Councillor Andy Smith, chairman of the town centre management group, defended the scheme. He said: “I do believe the sharing concept will work because it will be a very different kind of space. It won’t look like a normal road.

“It will be signposted and the whole surfacing and presentation of the road/footway will indicate it is joint property of both pedestrians and cars.

“Even at the Tesco junction, an awful lot of people cross other than at the junction so cars already stop to look out for them.

“The uncertainty that everybody has is actually one of the advantages of the scheme because nobody then has right of way.”

Cllr Smith said similar schemes worked well in Covent Garden and Peterfield, Hampshire.

Rosemary Mayhew, 64, of Garrison Lane, said: “I think people need a crossing here for safety.

“People are going to think it’s been totally pedestrianised.”