Petition demands speed camera on ‘dangerous’ road where eight-year-old boy was killed

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

A petition to add a speed camera to a South London road has received more than 1,800 signatures, after an eight-year-old boy was killed on the street earlier this year.

Greenwich council has received a petition to add road calming measures to Plumstead Road.

The petition comes after a boy died after being hit by a motorbike while crossing Plumstead Road beside its junction with Lenton Street in February.

The incident also reportedly saw the boy’s father and ten-year-old brother, as well as the motorcycle driver, being hospitalised.

The boy and his family were said to have been walking towards the Greenwich Islamic Centre at the time of the incident.

The petition, which reportedly has 1,860 signatures, said: “The speed of that stretch of road is dangerous with many cars jumping the red lights on a regular basis.

“There has been a number of [road traffic accidents], with the most recent one taking the life of an eight-year-old boy and putting his father and his 10-year-old brother in critical condition in hospital.”

It added: “All residents that are crossing that stretch of Plumstead Road feel unsafe and would like the council to take action immediately.”

The council has been asked in the petition to add a speed camera to the set of traffic lights where the incident occurred.

Other requests include changes to the timings of the traffic light signals and reducing the speed limit of the road to 20 mph. The speed limit for Plumstead Road is currently 30 mph, according to council documents.

Council officers said in their report that five road traffic collisions had been reported in the area since April 2020.

They added that local councillors previously suggested placement of a speed camera and changing the timing of the traffic light signals shortly after the incident in February.

Following the incident, police found no issues with the infrastructure of the road aside from faded road markings. Transport for London also reportedly felt the traffic signals in the area were adequate to control the traffic on the road.

The petition to add road calming measures and a speed camera to Plumstead Road will be discussed at a highways committee meeting for Greenwich council on Wednesday.

Recommendations from the committee will then be reported to the council at a meeting on October 25.

Pictured top: Plumstead Road, near the junction with Lenton Street (Picture: Google Street View)