A car crash which a man claims could have killed his partner and children has led to renewed calls for safety measures to be put in place on a one-way system.

A Peugeot 206 overturned in Hitchin Road, Stevenage, after exiting the one-way system in the Old Town last Tuesday.

Hitchin Road resident Ken Darlington, 58, says his partner Tereza Plocka, 36, had been walking along the road with their two children, aged one and three, just prior to the crash, in which a man was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

He said: “There’s nothing in place to protect pedestrians right now. I’ve been living here 20 years and it just seems to be getting worse and worse. We see an accident of this nature happen two or three times a year and it never gets any better. We tell the council about it but their process seems to say that if no-one has been killed yet then they’re not going to do anything about it. It’s ridiculous.

“Many people have complained about the design of the one-way system and, while I think this is an issue, I understand it would not be cost-effective to start digging up and rearranging great areas of road. This is why I say why not introduce a speed camera? At least then there would be some kind of deterrent to this behaviour and we could lower the risk of anyone being seriously hurt or, even worse, killed.”

Stevenage Borough Council leader Sharon Taylor said: “I think it’s vital that we sort something out for this part of the town and the neighbouring High Street. We’re entering a dangerous situation where we’ve got lots and lots of schoolchildren at certain times of the day, as well as other members of the public, and they are being put at a great risk. The Thomas Alleyne Academy has been very vocal about this recently and I think it’s frustrating for everyone involved just how long it takes to get any of these changes through.”

A full Stevenage Borough Council meeting was due to be held at Daneshill House last night (Wednesday) to publicly discuss the effectiveness of Hertfordshire County Council’s highways services.