Call for crossing on major road after child knocked down

A petition has been launched for a zebra crossing on Flash Lane in Bramley following the incident, with more than 400 having signed.

Fatema Elgamil, who set up the petition at change.org, said her niece had been hit by a car when walking home from Wickersley School two weeks ago and suffered a suspected broken pelvis.

“After speaking with witnesses, we knew that this wasn’t the first incident involving a child pedestrian in this area,” she said. 

“Two years ago, another child was hit by a car in the same place.

“Many reports have been raised to Rotherham Council to add a zebra crossing or speed bumps in this road.

“Unfortunately, there is still no zebra crossing in this road.

“To me, this is pure negligence. The council has failed to protect our kids’ lives and safety. 

“My niece is absolutely traumatised physically and mentally. This has to be seriously addressed by the council.

“No child on earth deserves to go through this.”

The site has been subject to discussions around traffic calming since the Progress Drive estate was built in 2005 and developers Ben Bailey chipped in £10,000 towards the cost.

But when Rotherham Council came to investigate the idea, they shelved plans for a crossing as officers said the road was not busy enough — and an alternative scheme involving speed bumps, which was costed at £45,000, was thrown out after dozens of residents objected.

Almost 70 spoke out against the plans when they came before councillors in 2010, with some calling for a crossing instead and others talking against the prospect of hearses en route to Bramley Cemetery having to tackle speed bumps.

Rotherham Council said it regularly reviewed casualty data to see if any safety measures could be implemented and had recently increased funding.

The council said: “We are working with members of the community and await their formal submission. 

“We will continue to work with the lead petitioners to see what can be done to improve safety in this specific area.”

Visit the Protect Pedestrians in Bramley petition at change.org for more information.