A dangerous pedestrian crossing close to where political cartoonist, Peter Woolcock, was fatally injured has been moved to prevent further accidents.

The crosswalk, outside the office of The Royal Gazette on Par-la-Ville Road in Hamilton, was shifted south at the weekend.

Mr Woolcock, 88, is believed to have fallen from the sidewalk onto a passing car close to the crossing and sustained injuries from which he later died. The accident prompted fresh calls from Royal Gazette bosses for the crossing to be moved further south along Par-la-Ville Road away from the roundabout and filter land from Serpentine Road.

The new location of the crossing will give drivers turning onto Par-la-Ville better visibility to see pedestrians crossing the road,

Corporation of Hamilton workers painted the new pedestrian crossing on Sunday.

City engineer, Patrick Cooper, told The Royal Gazette: “The work to relocate the crossing was really a direct response to the accident involving Mr Woolcock.

“The idea behind moving the crossing further south is to provide drivers coming out of the slip road and from the roundabout with more time to see pedestrians crossing the road. It will also provide drivers, who may be blinded by the sunlight that can be a problem in that area, a greater distance to see pedestrians crossing the road,

“At the present time the painting of this new crossing is all we have planned.

“But I would like to investigate the claims that this is a dangerous junction further and look at what else could be done to make this area safer.

“At present there are no plans to install a pelican crossing but if our research uncovers something that needs to be addressed, we will pursue it.”

The move to relocate the crossing was welcomed by Jonathan Howes, chief executive officer of Bermuda Press (Holdings) Ltd, parent company of The Royal Gazette.

He said: “I am grateful that the Corporation of Hamilton, Road Safety Council, Works and Engineering and the Police have listened to our concerns and taken the first step to address them.

“It is my understanding that the moving of the crosswalk was just a first step and that the design of the intersection will be reviewed with the objective of enhancing pedestrian and motorist safety.

“The Royal Gazette will also be working with the Road Safety Council to raise awareness that both pedestrians and motorists must pay attention to ensure all of our roads are safer.”