There has been controversy recently Worcestershire County Council spending over £100,000 on two zebra crossings. The bill of £53,000 each would include £16,000 to 'design' crossings. Another £16,000 would be spent on officer time, with £54,000 would be spent building them.
Cllr Roger Knight, who has been campaigning for the crossings says:
"It cannot be value for money. They want to put a super-grip road surface on either side of it. That is a luxury – we just need some lines and a couple of lights. Considering we have been building zebra crossings since 1935, do you not think we could take a design off the shelf?"
But Cllr John Smith, the Cabinet Member for Transport and Highways says the cost is "not out of the ordinary." The frightening thing is that Cllr Smith may be right.
It may be partly the fault of councils but also the onerous bureaucratic requirements in the tendering process.