COMMUNITY campaigners and politicians are calling on the borough council to review traffic safety after a woman was hit by a truck.

She was found slumped on the zebra crossing in Prospect Street, Caversham, after a collision that left her with serious injuries.

Emergency services swooped to her aid on Monday morning before racing her to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford by ambulance.

More than 700 residents, including Rob Wilson MP, have backed a petition for Reading Borough Council to address traffic concerns and to consider upgrading the zebra crossing to a pelican crossing.

The woman, believed to be in her fifties or sixties, remains in hospital while a 31-year-old man from North Hinksey, Oxford, has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and bailed until March 14.

Speaking after the collision, staff at the nearby Prince of Wales pub, said: “She was at the zebra crossing and the paramedics were working on her.

“She was hurt, there was lots of blood, I thought I heard her murmuring, everybody was just shocked.”

Thames Valley Police cordoned off the road until 3pm on Monday while they photographed pools of blood and the large white truck which had come to a standstill on the pavement.

The petition, started by council election hopeful Ed Hogan, will be presented to Reading Borough Council’s traffic management sub-committee at a future meeting.

Neighbours added their thoughts to the rallying call in an attempt to convince the borough council to take significant action.

Hayley Goodings said: “After being hit by a car which stopped me walking for a year, having to cross Prospect Street with crossings that have already been involved with accidents gives us no security on crossing this road with traffic coming both ways.

“The zebra crossing is lethal, numerous times I have nearly been hit including people stopping and not even let you get half way across before speeding off.”

Rob Wilson wrote a letter to the borough council following the crash, asking what plans are in place to improve traffic safety.

He said: “A number of constituents have raised concerns with me regarding the Prospect Street zebra crossing, following the incident on Monday. But there have been near misses with pedestrians reported on a number of occasions over recent years.

“As this is a Council matter, we have to convince it of the need for change.”

 

A council spokesman said: “We were sorry to hear of the serious incident involving a female pedestrian in Prospect Street, Caversham, on Monday. The council is unable to comment on the cause of the collision while police are still investigating the matter.

“The zebra crossing in Prospect Street has a very good safety record with no previous history of accidents resulting in casualties over the past three-years, which is the national standard when reviewing road casualties. Officers have also looked back over the past 10 years and found no record of a pedestrian being hurt using this crossing in that time.”

A spokesman for South Central Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 11.40am to reports of a road traffic collision involving a pedestrian and a truck.

“We have taken her to John Radcliffe Hospital by road, she has sustained serious injuries.”