Residents to make call for 20mph speed zone
A FATHER who was hospitalised after being run over at a school pedestrian crossing has warned someone could be killed unless measures are taken.
Residents of Morganstown and Radyr have planned a day of action after claims speeding motorists are putting children and families’ lives at risk.
In January 2010, father-of-two Kieran Webster was left in hospital for seven days after being hit by a car on Heol Isaf in Radyr.
The 48-year-old had been on the pedestrian crossing near Radyr Comprehensive when he was hit by a sports car and flipped into the windscreen.
The Morganstown resident said: “The first thing I thought was ‘where am I, why is a silver car flying over my head.’
“Then as I hit the ground, I realised I had been run over. I was in shock and I couldn’t feel my arm.
“It turned out that the ball of my shoulder had taken the full impact and had been sheared completely through an angle and displaced.”
For Mr Webster the accident also had a lasting effect as a father to two young children.
He said: “What struck me at the time is that just a couple of inches further and my head and neck would have taken the impact of two tonnes of vehicle travelling at just under 30 mph.
“What kept making me feel sick was that if it had been a child, then they would have most likely been dead.
“My life was turned upside down in other ways, too. My two boys were five and four and I was unable to lift them up or play with them for six months.
“I also suffered symptoms of post-traumatic stress, such as flashbacks, being jumpy and getting panicky around roads.
“Getting back to work was difficult and it took 24 months before I was fully recovered.”
In 2016 data released under a freedom of information request found the average speed of cars on Heol Isaf to be between 41 and 44mph in a 30mph zone.
But residents have said the problem has increased with the presence of HGV vehicles on the road as part of construction of the Plas Dwr development.
Radyr mother-of-two Gemma Constable said: “There are no traffic calming measures whatsoever. There is no 20mph zone at the school and there are dozens of HGVs and lorries. Most residents here will have had near misses when they have either driven on walked down Heol Isaf.
“Parents are driving their children to school because it’s not safe to walk. If people were driving at 20mph wouldn’t have that problem.”
On July 6 residents in Radyr and Morganstown will take part in a community action group “big slow down” day as part of a campaign calling for a continuous 20mph zone in the Cardiff suburb.
Between 6.30am and 9.30am residents will park legally on the street to show the dangers of speeding on the B-road used by motorists to access Cardiff and the A470.
Michelle Johnson, founder of the road safety action group, said: “We have an elderly community, there is a school, there’s a surgery and there is nowhere to get across.
“People take their life into their own hands quite literally to cross the road.
“On July 6 residents will be parking as a way of creating traffic mayhem to highlight the sheer volume of traffic along the road.”
As part of the campaign, an online petition has been created calling for a 20mph limit throughout Radyr and Morganstown.
A motion has also been passed by Radyr and Morganstown Community Council calling for traffic calming measures and a 20mph limit where appropriate.
A spokesman for Cardiff Council said: “Two 20mph schemes will soon be implemented in Radyr and these will be located in the vicinity of Bryn Deri Primary School and Radyr Primary School.
“The council is currently delivering a long-term programme to bring 20mph limits to different areas of the city. The wards where these schemes have already delivered include Cathays, Gabalfa, Riverside and parts of Canton.
“The first priority is to deliver 20mph limits in areas south of the A48 starting around the city centre and moving to other adjacent densely populated areas.
“Other wards will be considered after completing the initial programme but these will have to be designed to accommodate the unique characteristics in each area.
“The delivery of the 20mph limits scheme is separate from the delivery of the Safe Routes in Communities schemes and other school safety-related projects.
“The council is currently consulting on 20mph limits in a city-wide consultation Green Paper on the future transport for the city.
“Anyone can still make representations until the end of the end of June.
“If speed limits are changed on any particular road, a legal process has to be followed by amending the traffic regulation order which involves further statutory consultation.”
To sign the petition go to: https://www. ipetitions.com/petition/RandMRoadSafety they