Liverpool City Council and two of its contractors have been prosecuted following two separate incidents involving roadworks on a busy city centre road.

One man died and another was seriously injured while attempting to cross Queens Drive in Liverpool during major resurfacing works in the summer of 2012. Enterprise Liverpool Limited and Tarmac Trading Limited were contracted by Liverpool City Council to carry out the works.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how on 3 July 2012 a 74-year-old man suffered head injuries after he was hit by a car while using a crossing at temporary lights. One side of the Queen’s Drive dual carriageway had been put into a contraflow to allow vehicles to travel in both directions. However the temporary pedestrian lights were not working and no alternative was provided.

The Court also heard that the following month on the 19th August 2012, 69-year-old Ernest Haughton died after he was hit by a car while attempting to cross a single lane of traffic on the same road using a temporary pedestrian crossing. However, following complaints from motorists, changes were made to the traffic control lights to alleviate congestion but this removed the natural break in traffic flow needed to allow pedestrians to cross the carriageway.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Liverpool City Council failed to ensure that the arrangements for managing the roadworks were suitable, including failing to appoint a suitable co-ordinator for the work. Instead they had sought to delegate responsibilities to Enterprise Liverpool Limited.
http://press.hse.gov.uk/2016/council-and-contractors-fined-after-man-dies-and-another-seriously-injured-in-roadworks/