A recent survey conducted by local groups, Glastonbury on Foot and Glastonbury on the Bus, has highlighted the pressing need for pedestrian crossings on the main roads that stem from the "B&Q" roundabout in Glastonbury.

Local residents and visitors have voiced concern over the area's unsafe conditions and lack of foot access.

A survey has shown that safe crossing points on the A39 and A361, and the Tesco approach road, would be used more than 70,000 times a year by local residents, visitors, shoppers and workers – and reduce traffic by allowing people to walk instead of driving.

Of the 190 respondents, only three opposed the idea of controlled crossings, while 181 expressed a desire to see them installed, from both pedestrian and driver viewpoints.

The data indicated the crossings could be used between 2.2 to 6.3 times per hour, depending on the location.

Moreover, respondents provided detailed insight into the alarming conditions. Elderly and disabled residents and children from the Millstream Estate reported feeling unable to venture on foot due to the rapid and heavy traffic. Wheelchair users and adults with pushchairs or shopping trolleys similarly voiced their inability to navigate the multiple lanes of speeding traffic.

Several respondents described walking on muddy, slippery verges due to lacking footpaths. This results in dangerous proximity to speeding cars and HGVs, exacerbated by narrow and overgrown pavements, or sometimes, no pavements.

The lack of pedestrian access has also led to an over-reliance on vehicles for short commutes, with several people stating they are compelled to use their cars for trips of just a few hundred metres. The respondents also described the area as noisy, unattractive, and unwelcoming due to heavy traffic.

One Millstream Estate resident revealed a poignant account of their struggles: "I have been nearly run over so many times... my husband was in a wheelchair & we couldn't cross anywhere... so we were trapped on our estate for the last year of his life unless I drove the wheelchair accessible vehicle which made him sick. People are taken as a nuisance trying to cross the roads... it is so dangerous.

"Please can we have a button-controlled or traffic light roundabout set of crossings."

Susannah Clemence of Glastonbury on Foot, said: "People on the doorstep told me again and again, how desperate they are for safe crossings. I was surprised – I had expected more to object to the idea."

The survey results have now been forwarded to County councillors for further action.