Mum of child hit by car calls for more to be done to improve road safety in Leighton Buzzard estate

The mother of an eight-year-old who was hit by a car in a Leighton Buzzard estate has called for more to be done to protect residents.

The boy had been playing with friends around the Sandhills when he was hit by a car after he ventured into the road in Whinchat Gardens on Sunday (April 23).

The youngster was taken to hospital with minor injuries. He is now recovering but is dealing with extensive bruising following the collision and his mum – who did not wish to be identified – said: “He’s lucky that he walked back through that door.”

Now she is calling on the police and landowners to put traffic calming measures in place and increase parking to improve road safety – saying poor parking facilities were to blame for her son venturing into the road where he was struck.

She said: "They literally mount the whole entirety of the curb. There's no way anyone could get by in a wheelchair. That's what forced my son to go out into the road to get across.”

Not only does she want better parking to help pedestrians and motorists to see better, but she has also asked for traffic calming measures to prevent so-called ‘boy racers’ from driving fast around Sandhills. The mum-of-three said: "We need speed humps around this area. Then put road markings on the floor of what the actual speed limit is because they have no clue.”

Bedfordshire Police confirmed its officers would be in the area on May 20 between 3pm and 4pm, giving people the opportunity to raise any issues and concerns.

Sergeant Amy Ison from the Leighton Buzzard Community Policing team said: “We understand how important road safety is to our communities and we work closely with the local council to tackle such issues.

“We would encourage residents to report speeding issues or dangerous driving to us as this will enable us to take action and focus on specific areas of concern.

“You can also report to us via the reporting tool on our website, by calling 101 or through the Have Your Say survey and you can also get involved by joining your local Speedwatch group.”

If you saw anything on Sunday (April 23), call 101 with information and quote reference 246 of 23 April.

Only three roads in the estate have been adopted by Central Bedfordshire Council, which does not have the authority to make changes to other streets, including Whinchat Gardens. As a result, it was unable to comment.

A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey, which is responsible for the Billington Grove development, said they were “very sorry” to hear about the collision.

They added: “Health and safety is our top priority and we sincerely hope that the child has recovered.

“We would like to assure the community that all roads at the development have been constructed in line with the designs approved by the local authority and have passed a road safety audit. We can also confirm that the parking provision at the development has been constructed in line with the requirements of the council.

“We will continue to engage with the council as we prepare the roads for adoption and will discuss any additional safety measures they may deem necessary prior to completion.”