It comes after the sister of a woman killed while out walking her dogs launched a fresh petition calling for more speed cameras, reports James Cracknell

The A10 pedestrian crossing where Laura (inset) was killed in January

Transport for London (TfL) has said it will “discuss local people’s concerns” about safety on the A10 after the sister of a young woman killed on the road began a new campaign.

Asked by the Dispatch to respond to the petition recently launched by Gina Sone-Demetrious following the death of her sister Laura in January, TfL’s head of policing and community safety said the incident was a “tragedy” and “should never have happened”.

Laura was out walking her two dogs when she was hit by a car and killed while crossing the A10 at a pedestrian crossing in Edmonton. A 17-year-old boy was later arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and failing to stop – the criminal investigation is continuing.

In an interview with the Dispatch earlier this month, Gina said “everyone was heartbroken” by Laura’s death and said the A10 was “just really, really dangerous”. She is now determined to improve safety on the road, which is notorious for speeding and ‘boy racers’, by campaigning for measures such as more speed cameras.

Four years ago TfL introduced an average speed camera system on the A10 between Southbury Road and Bullsmoor Lane, and evidence collected since suggests this has led to a reduction of serious injuries. However, the section of the road where Laura was killed still does not have such cameras.

Last year, before Laura’s death, TfL rejected calls for a similar average speed camera system to be introduced between Southbury Road and the North Circular, after more than 2,000 people signed a petition. The new petition launched by Gina last month now has around 600 signatures.

In response to the latest campaign, Mandy McGregor, TfL’s head of policing and community safety, said: “We take everyone’s safety on London’s roads seriously. Safety is our number one priority and it is our mission to eliminate death and serious injury from London’s roads.

“Laura’s death was a tragedy and should never have happened, and our thoughts are with her family and loved ones.

“We continue to work closely with Enfield Council and the Met Police to reduce all forms of road danger in Enfield, including on the A10.

“We are planning to meet with local representatives from the council in the coming weeks to discuss local people’s concerns about road danger here.”

Gina also wants changes to be made at a national level, including a review of sentencing guidelines for those convicted of dangerous driving, mandatory ‘black boxes’ being installed on vehicles, a graduated licensing system for young drivers, and engine capacity restrictions for cars driven by new and young drivers.

“Our goal is to make it the law – Laura’s law,” Gina told the Dispatch. “She was 28, she had her whole life ahead of her, everyone is heartbroken by it.”

Sign the A10 road safety petition:
Visit change.org/p/improve-road-safety-measures-on-the-a10

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