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Portslade schoolboy knocked down at death crash site

2:00pm Thursday 9th July 2009 in


A mother has renewed calls to make a road safer after her son was hit by a car in the same spot where a young boy died last year.

Bailey Hill, 11, was knocked down on Chalky Road in Portslade as he walked to Mile Oak Primary School with his younger brother Regan, seven.

A speed limit of 20mph was introduced on the road after nine-year-old Henry Nugent was hit by a car after stepping off a bus outside Portslade Community College last July. He suffered major head injuries and later died in hospital.

Bailey’s mum, Debby Hill, said: “I would never wish it on anyone, he was really lucky. When I had that knock on the door and someone telling me Bailey had been hit by a car the first thing I thought of was little Henry.”

Bailey was left with a black eye and bruising on his body and both brothers are in shock.

The incident happened on Monday morning. Miss Hill had already been planning to attend a meeting that evening to discuss safer access to the nearby park from Chalky Road.

Now she is even more determined that road must be made safer.

She said: “It is just a terrible road. This area is full of kids who can’t get across the road to the park.

“Bailey was lucky as the lady was slowing down to drop her son off at Portslade Community College but some people speed down there.

“Most people think they should put a proper pelican crossing somewhere in the middle of the park and sports centre.”

Bob Carden, a ward councillor for North Portslade, has written to Brighton and Hove City Council asking for a review of the current traffic management measures, a traffic count on the road and an assessment to determine whether different signs would be more effective.

He has also requested regular use of mobile speed cameras and that council and police officers meet with local residents to draw up an action plan to tackle the issue.

Coun Carden said: “The 20mph limit has now been in place for several months but is not fully addressing the problem.”

A council spokeswoman said: “Since the tragic accident on Chalky Road last year, a 20mph limit has been put in place and traffic calming chicanes have also helped to reduce traffic speed.”

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said the latest incident was not being investigated as it is being treated as pedestrian error.

Comments(17)

quedula says...
2:33pm Thu 9 Jul 09

Surely the chicanes were there before the fatal accident? I wonder if they are in the right place. The need to focus on them and oncoming traffic may absorb a driver's attention.

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Q-car says...
2:47pm Thu 9 Jul 09

I'm glad Baileys injuries are not serious and I hope he makes a swift recovery. That said, an 11 year old in charge of a 7 year old, crossing roads in the morning rush hour?
Traffic calming is only part of the solution, how about educating your children and instilling some road sense in them?
I was in the Tufty Club and I've never been run over......

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longman says...
3:06pm Thu 9 Jul 09

Hope the little boy recovers quickly.
Heres a thing, how about parents taking their children to school in the morning, rather than letting them walk to school on their own. Here on the north side of the Old Shoreham Road, I see many little kids walking to school without adult supervision. Young kids donot have the ability to judge speed and should be supervised on crossing the busy roads. Dont say, we're too busy and need to get to work. You have kids, you have responsibility to ensure they get to school safely.

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wardth says...
4:02pm Thu 9 Jul 09

There is too much signage on roads these days and "traffic calming" measures are anything but. What they actually introduce is obstacles that take end up diverting the drivers attention. Oh and mobile speed cameras are not the answer - driver education and PEDESTRIAN education are the only ways to resolve this type of incident. Speed cameras are a complete waste of time. I completely agree about education of children; I distinctly remember the Green Cross Code man coming into school and to this day I've never had an incident while crossing a road. I was never allowed to go to school on my own - I always had to go with a friend as my school in London was almost 5 miles from my house so I'm sorry but a 7 yr old supervised by an 11yr old is not on.

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Juliet Bravo says...
4:51pm Thu 9 Jul 09

Don't quite understand the mother's logic here: even she admits the driver was slowing down, and it's quite clear from the police statement that the child walked out into the path of the car. All the traffic calming measures in the world won't help when a pedestrian steps out into the road without looking.

Accidents happen, especially where children are involved. Neither of the two accidents reported in this newspaper are thought to be the driver's fault, so perhaps people are looking in the wrong place for someone to stick the responsibility on.

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davyboy says...
4:56pm Thu 9 Jul 09

there are chicanes, which have been there for ages, and no-one keeps to 20 when it is posted. as someone pointed out, education is needed on both sides, but children of this age should be taken to school by their parents.

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ShorehamBeachcomber says...
5:45pm Thu 9 Jul 09

stick a traffic light there then it will both give a safe crossing and some cars will go by other routes after being delayed a few times

security word back to basics

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Mychildsnotsafe says...
6:10pm Thu 9 Jul 09

The chicane in question just makes drivers speed UP to get through!!!!!

And drivers need to be aware you have to stop if someone steps on a zebra crossing!!!

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Granny says...
6:11pm Thu 9 Jul 09

It is a pity that the little boy was knocked over but I believe that children need more "traffic training". I live quite near a school and regularly see children running across the road without looking, merely to get to their friends waiting on the other side. Don't mothers teach their children road sense these days or do they think it is the schools' responsibility?

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kfirette says...
9:30pm Thu 9 Jul 09

Why havn't we got speed cameras along this part of the road??? I was at the top bus stop yesterday when a car drove at speed - 35-40mph in a straight line through the chicanes no person would have stood a chance crossing then!

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Txa says...
9:33pm Thu 9 Jul 09

The only way you're going to train children is letting them go and experience crossing by themselves. If you don't let them walk when young, they are prone to have accidents later.

Drivers should be aware of children crossing roads near schools, parks, neighbourhoods, and slow down.

What is wrong with zebra crossing outside schools?

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alice1 says...
1:58am Fri 10 Jul 09

The people who use this road know what a nightmare it is you have children getting off the buses,children crossing not just in one place but every part of the road, you have a zebra crossing down the road that the children and parents just step onto, not even waiting for the car's buses to stop!!!!!and as for the 20mp sigh it is in the wrong place it should be further up in fox-way and bigger,

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RickH says...
10:34am Fri 10 Jul 09

davyboy wrote:
there are chicanes, which have been there for ages, and no-one keeps to 20 when it is posted. as someone pointed out, education is needed on both sides, but children of this age should be taken to school by their parents.
Are you sure? Surely an 11-year-old should have enough of both common and road sense to be able to walk to school unescorted!

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scarowes says...
1:02pm Fri 10 Jul 09

The accident happened on the same road but further up at a different spot, before any of the sleeping bumps come into force. I drive up this road mon-fri dropping kids at PCC and it is a night mare of a road. A crossing is needed towards the top where this accident happened. It was reported last year that after the very unfortunate death of Henry that these sleeping bumps would be taken away - nothing has been done. Drivers are in such a hurry to get around these bumps that they speed towards the cars that have the right of way, I myself find that I pay more attention to what is coming in the other direction to me than the children on the side of the road - take the sleeping bumps away they are an unecessary distraction and put a crossing further up before any other accidents happen.

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Dave At Home says...
8:58pm Fri 10 Jul 09

The only way to stop the traffic around PCC is to close off the Chalky Road/ Fox Way junction at the top.

It is not the people that live in the area that are speeding, it is the ones who use Mile Oak Road as a short cut to the link road, but them they all have to queue up at the bottom of Downs Park so have they really gained any extra time?

Time to shut down Mile Oak Road at the junction of Melrose Avenue and Mile Oak Gardens, that will cut the traffic down by about 60%.

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Ming says...
12:53am Sat 11 Jul 09

Dave At Home wrote:
The only way to stop the traffic around PCC is to close off the Chalky Road/ Fox Way junction at the top.

It is not the people that live in the area that are speeding, it is the ones who use Mile Oak Road as a short cut to the link road, but them they all have to queue up at the bottom of Downs Park so have they really gained any extra time?

Time to shut down Mile Oak Road at the junction of Melrose Avenue and Mile Oak Gardens, that will cut the traffic down by about 60%.
That sounds like a fantastic idea, lets make it really awkward for people North of Chalky Road to get about... Im not trying to cause offence here but I must be missing something as I dont see what is so special about Chalky Road, there must be thousands of far more dangerous roads, even with schools on or near.. (for the record I dont drive so dont start slating me as a biased driver, I just cant see why this road causes so many problems)

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alice1 says...
9:02am Sat 11 Jul 09

Ming wrote:
Dave At Home wrote: The only way to stop the traffic around PCC is to close off the Chalky Road/ Fox Way junction at the top. It is not the people that live in the area that are speeding, it is the ones who use Mile Oak Road as a short cut to the link road, but them they all have to queue up at the bottom of Downs Park so have they really gained any extra time? Time to shut down Mile Oak Road at the junction of Melrose Avenue and Mile Oak Gardens, that will cut the traffic down by about 60%.
That sounds like a fantastic idea, lets make it really awkward for people North of Chalky Road to get about... Im not trying to cause offence here but I must be missing something as I dont see what is so special about Chalky Road, there must be thousands of far more dangerous roads, even with schools on or near.. (for the record I dont drive so dont start slating me as a biased driver, I just cant see why this road causes so many problems)
maybe you should become a passager in a car and you will see for yourself, and be able to suggest some thing which might work in keeping the children and drivers safe!!!!

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