Keep Our Community Safe: Please Sign the Petition to Make Crossing A379 Safer

Keep Our Community Safe: Please Sign the Petition to Make Crossing A379 Safer

For over 30 years, Dawlish Gardens Trust has played a vital role in our community—providing nurturing support and life-affirming vocational training for over 145 vulnerable adults from across Devon. From horticulture and animal care to arts, crafts, cooking, and maintenance, our trainees engage meaningfully in their work and contribute positively to local projects—from churchyard upkeep to tending public flower beds. Click here to sign Change.org

But our commitment to independence and community connection comes with risks. Each day, many of our service users travel via bus or train to reach our site on Port Road—directly adjacent to the A379’s 40 mph carriageway. Crossing this busy road is more than inconvenient—it’s extremely dangerous, especially for those with sensory, visual, or mobility impairments. To add your signature visit Change.org

Despite our best efforts—raising concerns with Devon Highways and the local council, and having visits from MP Martin Wrigley and Councillor Rosie Dawson—the response remains: “no recorded accidents, no action.” But waiting for a tragedy is not an option. Help make a change for the best visit Change.org

What We’re Requesting—and Why Your Support Matters

The Trust is appealing for public backing through this petition, which calls for:

1. A pedestrian refuge island in the middle of the A379, to allow people to cross one direction of traffic safely and pause before crossing the second.
2. A solar-powered, vehicle-activated sign to remind drivers to slow down near our crossing.

These practical safety measures can save lives—but only if we show overwhelming community support. The petition, launched on 20 June 2025, has already gathered over 530 verified signatures, with supporters growing every day. Change.org Sign Here

How You Can Help—It’s Quick, It’s Important

• Sign the petition today. Every signature demonstrates your support for safety and inclusion in our community.
• Share the petition widely—with friends, neighbours, schools, local groups, or on social media.
• Add your voice to create urgency and show decision-makers that together, we demand action before it’s too late.

Please take a moment to sign—our trainees deserve safe passage to and from Dawlish Gardens Trust. Let’s prevent a tragedy and show our unwavering support for those who enrich our community.

Sign the petition now and help make a difference.