Dozens of concerned parents and residents gathered outside a primary school in southwest London on Friday to protest what they describe as “dangerously inadequate” road safety measures following a near-tragic incident involving a mother and her three children.
The protest took place near the A316 at Margaret’s Roundabout in Twickenham, where a driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed through roadside barriers in January last year, narrowly missing mother Rosie Greaves and her children aged one, four, and seven at the time.
Days later, the mother was horrified to find debris in her youngest child’s pushchair.
"The man's eyes were closed, there was no swerving to avoid us. It was pure chance that we weren't completely mowed down and there was less than a metre in it,” she previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
She said that if the incident had been a one-off, it might have been dismissed as a freak accident. However, with the barriers frequently out of action, she believes it’s only a matter of time before someone is killed — and with the location outside a primary school, that person is likely to be a child.
Campaigners are demanding urgent improvements to pedestrian safety near the school. They were joined by local MP Munira Wilson, London Assembly Member Gareth Roberts, and several councillors.
Residents say their concerns have been “dismissed” by Transport for London (TfL) for years and criticised a “total lack of urgency” from City Hall.
“There have been close-call incidents where individuals, including young children and parents, have narrowly avoided being struck by a vehicle. It is only a matter of time before a tragic accident occurs,” Elizabeth Bachour, headteacher at St Stephen’s Primary school said.
Among the key concerns are unsafe pedestrian crossings — with reports that children walking to St Stephen’s Primary School cannot cross safely in the time allowed — as well as drivers ignoring the 30mph speed limit and frequent red-light jumping.
Despite assurances from TfL, parents say school warning signs remain missing, and no new signage has been installed since the start of term. Existing roadside barriers, they add, offer little protection for pedestrians caught in the middle of the roundabout.
Richmond Council has reportedly offered to fund physical separation between cycle lanes and pedestrian areas, but residents claim TfL continues to stall.
Local councillor Kate Mansfield said: “Safety cannot be an afterthought. Residents have spoken with one voice. We need concrete timelines and real action now.”
More than 2,500 residents have signed a petition calling for urgent safety measures to be installed, including the implementation of a segregated cycle lane, a review of the barriers and clearer timelines for crossings.
Leader of Richmond Council Gareth Roberts said: ‘’Residents have absolutely had enough of being repeatedly fobbed off. This roundabout is clearly dangerous. We’ve already had some horrible near misses. It’s an accident waiting to happen, so this total lack of urgency and action we’ve seen from City Hall is just inexplicable.
“The Mayor and TfL have had years to fix this – the delays and excuses have got to stop before someone gets seriously hurt or even killed here.’’
A TfL spokesperson said: “We are working with Richmond to improve safety and have already made significant changes to improve safety in the area.
“These include traffic signal retiming at St. Margaret’s roundabout, speed limit reductions to the west of St. Margaret’s roundabout and significant safety improvements at the London Road junction with the A316.
“Keeping everyone travelling in the capital safely is our top priority and we’re determined to ensure that changes to London’s roads ensure safety is improved. Throughout the capital, we use a data-led approach to reducing danger and targeting investment in safety.
“We continue to monitor roads across the borough and regularly meet with local communities and their representatives to discuss proposed changes.”
