A 'DEEPLY distressed' councillor watched a supercar driver roar past children crossing a road the day after a fatal accident as she calls for improved safety for pedestrians.
A Fiat 500 struck six pedestrians in Church Street in Malvern on Tuesday, leaving one woman fatally injured. Enquiries are ongoing and so far no arrests have been made.
The car was said by witnesses to have struck the people as it mounted the pavement, knocking over a board outside Get Connected before it hit the boards outside Parsons bakery.
Cllr Beverley Nielsen, who represents Malvern Langland on behalf of Worcestershire County Council, has made her concerns known to the highways department.
Worcestershire County Council highways bosses said they are looking at ways to improve safety on Church Street.
Two of the victims remain in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Visiting the scene, she said a supercar 'roared' and sped past children the day after the Malvern death crash.
She said: "I am deeply distressed to read about the shocking accident on Church Street involving six people and to hear that one of those, an elderly lady, has since tragically passed away.
"Naturally I’d like to pass my condolences on to her family and my sincere good wishes to the five others involved, especially the two who remain in hospital.
"I feel very strongly that this raises the case for an urgent re-examination of how we manage traffic on Church Street and the need to prioritise pedestrians and active mobility over cars.
"Yes, we need to ensure access to our town centre but this must not jeopardise the safety of those using our shops and facilities.
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"Only the following day after this horrific accident I was enjoying a coffee whilst sitting outside when a supercar roared up the street in a boorish display as five or six young children were being tentatively ushered over the road by the young mother in charge of them.
"Meanwhile other young mums with prams, as well as people of many ages were walking up and down, trying to enjoy the shops along with a rare spot of sun."
She said for many months now she had been pressing the county council for 20mph limits on Church Street and Worcester Road as well as other residential roads including Abbey Road, Graham Road, Albert Road North and Victoria Road.
She added: "I am told by highways that speeding is not an issue and as a county we do not have a 20mph policy outside of certain very limited exceptions.
"My residents vociferously disagree with many consistently complaining about the speeds and poor behaviours of drivers on our roads."
Councillor Mike Rouse, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport at Worcestershire County Council said: "First and foremost, my sincere condolences go out to the family of the lady who passed away, following injuries sustained in the accident on Tuesday. We will continue to support our colleagues at West Mercia Police with their investigations into this incident.
"We are looking into what potential improvements would work best for Church Street, and will look to keep Councillor Nielsen updated as these progress.
"Any potential improvements are at a very early design stage, and will need to take into consideration, findings from the accident investigation.”
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