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'My mum was run over - now we want action'

Isabella BonehamWest Midlands
BBC/Lorette Turner On the left, two people stand outdoors on a residential street in daylight, with apartment buildings, trees and a blue sky in the background. One woman on the left is wearing a dark padded jacket, while the other woman on the right is wearing dark sunglasses and a large checked fleece jacket. On the right, a close-up photograph shows the rear of a grey Ford Transit Courier van with significant dent damage to the back door and surrounding panel near the tail light.BBC/Lorette Turner
Damage of a parked van on Winston Avenue after a motorbike hit Lorette Turner's mum Christine, 74, outside her home in June

A daughter whose mother was hit by a motorbike outside her house in Coventry said residents are "pulling together" to demand safety measures on two roads.

Lorette Turner said people living on Winston Avenue and Monkswood Crescent in Henley Green feel ignored after the council rejected a petition seeking measures to tackle speeding.

Residents told the BBC that speeding is a persistent problem and fear someone could be seriously hurt or killed if action was not taken.

However, the council said police data showed no recorded personal injury collisions on the roads in the last three years, meaning they do not meet the threshold for priority safety works.

Instead, it plans to carry out a speed survey and has pointed residents towards the Community Speed Watch scheme.

Turner said her mother's incident was reported to the police and it is a "blatant lie from the council that there have been no recorded personal injury collisions on the roads in the last three years".

"They clearly have done no investigation, the speed people travel down here can easily reach 70 or 80mph and it's just not safe for people," she said.

A council spokesperson said a speed survey was carried out on both roads that showed the "majority of drivers were travelling within the 30mph limit and the number of recorded collisions was low compared to other roads in the city".

A woman looking at the camera wearing a black padded jacket stands beside a residential street in daylight. The photograph is taken outside a brick house with a wooden fence in the foreground. In the background are apartment buildings, parked cars, trees and a clear blue sky
Lorette Turner said residents would support measures such as speed humps or speed cameras on the two roads

Turner told the BBC that her mother Christine, 74, was struck by a motorbike carrying two riders while walking her dog outside her home on Winston Avenue on 27 June at about 19:30 BST.

"There is a specific area that is a complete blind spot with parked cars, and there were two people on a bike who came down, hit her and dragged her," Turner said.

"Her dress and underwear were ripped, she suffered head and back injuries and still has bruising and swelling as well as numbness in her left foot.

"It has been an absolute nightmare."

She said her mother remains shaken and has not fully recovered.

"How would people feel in the council if it was their family member? You would fight, you would want to see results, and you would want people to feel safe," Turner added.

A group of seven people stand together at a pedestrian crossing on a residential street during daylight. The group is gathered between black-and-red bollards beside a road, with houses, trees and open green space in the background. One person is wearing a staff lanyard, while others are dressed in casual clothing including coats, hoodies and trainers. A street sign reading “Monkswood Crescent” is visible on the right-hand side of the image.
Residents are outraged at Coventry Council's decision to reject traffic calming measures on two roads in Henley Green

Turner said residents would support measures such as speed humps or speed cameras on the two roads, especially as there is a leisure centre on Winston Avenue, as well as two primary schools.

She also pointed to other incidents in the area.

"On 1 July this year there was a crash on the corner of Winston Avenue and the day after there was another crash outside of my mum's house again, which closed the road due to petrol all over the floor," she said.

In 2022 an eight-year-old girl was also critically injured after being struck by a car on Monkswood Crescent.

West Midlands Police said it works alongside its partners to keep roads safe including taking enforcement action against dangerous drivers, tackling criminality on the road network and working to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured.

The force added it has a number of safety initiatives including Community Speed Watch and Operation Snap where the public can submit dashcam footage of dangerous driving.

Two people wearing staff lanyards stand on a grassy area outdoors. A woman on the left is wearing a dark padded gilet and patterned trousers, while the man on the right is wearing a dark jacket and grey trousers. Behind them are trees with autumn foliage, a road, parked cars, bollards and a utility pole under a clear blue sky.
Henley Green councillors Mel Gregory (left) and Alistair Cole (right) are disappointed at the council's decision

Henley Green councillor Mel Gregory, who launched the petition and lives on Monkswood Crescent, said she fears the council is "waiting for a fatality before something happens".

"There shouldn't have to be a loss of life before action is taken," she said.

"This is my home and I want to feel safe here. I intend to appeal the decision and I am not going to give up."

Resident Bradley Robertson said he was "really annoyed" by the council's decision to reject the petition.

"If a lady has been hit while walking her dog, I don't want to be hit walking mine," he said.

"The council should be looking at temporary speed bumps or other measures to slow drivers down."

Side-by-side composite image showing two people standing outdoors in separate residential settings. On the left, a person wearing a dark blue suit and tie stands on a grass verge beside a road lined with modern red-brick terraced houses and parked cars under a blue sky. On the right, a person wearing glasses, a black zip-up hoodie and a red cap stands in front of a detached house with a lawn and trees in the background during daylight.
Local residents Jayden Clover (left) and Bradley Robertson (right) said people deserve to feel safe when crossing roads outside of their homes

Henley Green councillor Alistair Cole said residents had been "ignored".

"The community has been thrown under the bus as if Henley doesn't matter, but it does matter," he said.

Local resident Jayden Clover said people "deserve to come out of their house and cross the road in peace".

"It's disgusting the petition has been rejected," he added.

A council spokesperson said the location will be continued to be monitored a part of its annual citywide review of road safety sata.

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