THE parents of a 10-year-old girl killed at a pedestrian crossing have urged more people to come forward after launching a petition calling for amendments to the crossing.
Toufik and Yvonne Moumen have so far collected around 200 signatures asking for speed and CCTV cameras to be introduced at the crossing in Monkswood Way, Stevenage, as well as reducing the speed limit on the dual carriageway from 40mph to 30mph.
Their daughter Yesmine died at the junction near Asda supermarket after a collision with a car in December, 2010.
Kevin Ruder of Keller Close, Stevenage, was cleared of causing death by careless driving in March, 2012.
Mr Moumen launched the petition calling for Hertfordshire County Council to act a fortnight ago and visited the crossing last Monday and on Sunday to collect signatures.
He said: “I have been asking people to sign the petition at the crossing and lots of people I have spoke to said the current situation is horrendous.
“In percentage terms I would say 98 per cent of people I approached signed the petition and were very supportive. Many said they had said seen drivers speeding and jumping the red lights.
“We want more people to come forward and contact us as we don’t want anyone else to go through what we have been through – that is our aim.”
Responding to the Comet front page story launching the petition on May 23 this year, Kirstie Francis posted on Twitter: “I will be signing the petition about the Asda crossing featured in @thecomet24. The lights change far too quickly.”
Chris Webb, of Wildwood Lane in Stevenage, also told the Comet: “As a pedestrian who crosses at this junction regularly I am not surprised that there was a fatality. Almost daily I witness drivers accelerating at the amber light to shoot the junction at red.
“I’m sure they are convincing themselves that they have the excuse that it would have been more dangerous to stop. But when they are accelerating from 200 yards or more, clearly they had time to instead safely reduce their speed and stop.
“At the very least the cameras may deter motorists from taking such risks, and who knows, no more children need be killed on this stretch of road.”
To sign the petition visit https://consult.hertsdirect.org/petitions
? To share your thoughts about the petition, email nick.gill@thecomet.net
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