CAMPAIGNERS are calling for urgent safety improvements to Southend’s shared space after a teenager was knocked down there on Monday evening.

The 14-year-old male was left with serious head injuries after being trapped under a bus, but his condition was described not life threatening on Tuesday morning.

But the accident took place at the notorious shared space outside Southend Victoria train station, which is designed to allow vehicles and pedestrians to mingle together.

Campaigners have blasted the design, ratified by the Tories in 2011, as ‘lunacy’ while a petition calling on extra safety measures has gained 50 signatures overnight.

Julian Ware-Lane, Labour’s candidate for Southend West in 2015, has long campaigned on the shared space, and said: “Having a shared space between two of the biggest roads in the borough is complete lunacy.

“I accept accidents do happen but we need to see sense and I don’t want there to be something serious to happen before the council does anything.

“The experiment has been a failure and I would like to see railings, signs, and proper crossing installed.”

Since the shared space – along with a similar development on the seafront - came into being in 2011 under a £55,000 plan, it has constantly been criticised for its design.

However, the previous Tory administration decided to keep it after a nine month review last year, as accidents have fallen since it was introduced.

The number of accidents per year at the junction has fallen from 11, before the council converted it from a roundabout to a crossing with lights, to eight.

The Ukip party on Southend Council met with deputy leader of the joint administration, Lib Dem Graham Longley last night to discuss the crossing, and leader James Moyies said discussions were positive.

He said: “I have called today on the council to review this concept and investigate the cost of rectifying this obvious mistake.”

Councillor Lee Burling, who is a firefighter in his day job, will lead their campaign, and tended to the teenager on the scene on Monday, with crews using airbags to release him from underneath the bus.

He was flown to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge by air ambulance and remains in care.

Georgia Samuels, 21, of Rochford, added: “It terrifies me because even kids run across it not knowing, I nearly got run over there as it’s not obvious it’s a road too.”

 

Petition started for safer measures

THE woman petitioning Southend Council to make the shared space safer has warned the next person to be hit there might not be so lucky.

Georgia Bowler, 25, of Alexandra Road, Southend, was so shocked by Monday’s incident she immediately started a petition, with the campaign already garnering more than 50 signatures.

She has called for the council to install kerbs and crossings at the shared space. She also said a 5mph zone for traffic could help.

She said: “People coming into Southend from the station might not know it is a shared space, and Monday’s accident was bad enough.

“The next person might not be so lucky. My oldest child is five and the parents of the teenager must be distraught, as must the bus driver.

Hopefully, the council act on this.”

People can sign the petition by visiting thepetitionsite.com/

 

Council could review scheme

The council said it could review the shared space after the accident. The Tory administration has been kicked out for an Independent, Labour, and Lib Dem council.

A spokesman for the new administration said: “The council takes the view that one serious accident is one too many, which is why we invest a lot of resource in road safety.

“The police are investigating the events leading up to this accident and we will support them with their investigations in any way we can.

“Once the police have concluded their investigations, we will review their findings, together with all the accident data for the area, to see whether further safety improvements can be made.”