A PEDESTRIAN crossing has been demanded on a "lethal" road after a 13-year boy attempting to cross it was struck by a car.
Kyle Shannon, who attends St Martin's School in Hutton, broke his hip and expects to be confined to a wheelchair for the next six weeks after being injured while crossing near roadworks on Hanging Hill Lane on November 21.
His father Alex Reid told the Gazette: "He was very lucky.
"He'll be all right, but to be honest it could have been a lot worse.
"The car was only travelling at about 20mph.
"If the roadworks hadn't been in place and if the car had been travelling faster it could have been a totally different story.
"The traffic comes down here really fast and it is clear that we need some sort of crossing to make it safer for children."
The accident has also prompted Bal Singh Chhokar, who has lived in Hall Green Lane for seven years, to campaign for better safety measures.
The 45-year-old said: "The road is lethal.
"We need some thing over the road from Mount Avenue where kids walk down to the station.
"There must be five or six hundred children walking from St Martin's.
"They are easily distracted and cars race down much faster than 30mph.
"There is a lollipop lady opposite Ridgeway, but there is no pavement on the Mount Avenue side of the road for them to walk up.
"We need a crossing and a way to slow the traffic down."
The week before Kyle's accident, Mr Chhokar says he had to step into the road to stop the traffic and allow a child who had become trapped in the middle of the road to cross from Mount Avenue.
Mr Chhokar, a father of two boys who are both in the sixth form at St Martin's School, said: "Over the last few years I've witnessed many incidents of inconsiderate drivers having little or no concern towards St Martin's School children and other pedestrians who are either crossing the road at Hall Green Lane/Hanging Hill Lane or Hanging Hill Lane/Mount Avenue.
"Drivers are more concerned with getting one or two car spaces forward or just racing to get somewhere fast rather than giving pedestrians the courtesy to be able to cross the road in safety.
"Many a time I have had to step into the road just to stop traffic so that school children can safely cross the road at the Mount Avenue junction with Hanging Hill Lane, with many drivers looking somewhat annoyed that they have had to stop to allow someone to cross the road.
"As a parent, son, brother and uncle, it really upsets me to hear when a child is injured or killed as a result of a car accident at any time, so I was greatly upset when I heard of the young boy who was involved in an accident."
Essex county councillor Derrick Louis, cabinet member for highways and transportation said: "I am very sorry to hear about the accident and I wish the pupil a full recovery.
"Please let me assure you Essex County Council takes road safety extremely seriously and we are currently awaiting the full details of the accident in order to consider what action we will take."
