Accident on experimental £29m road

A man was knocked down by a lorry on a stretch of road that’s been stripped of signs, pavements and lights in an effort to improve safety.

Exhibition Road in London was officially opened as a “shared space” two weeks ago by Mayor Boris Johnson. £29million was spent on levelling the road and pavement, and removing yellow lines and road signs – and bosses at Kensington and Chelsea borough council had hoped the expensive redesign would help to cut accidents by 30 per cent. 

Traders and residents are now calling on the council to cut the 20mph speed limit to 5mph. And residents, blind campaigners and the Association of British Drivers have planned a rally on the road next week, demanding the council improve pedestrian safety.

The driver of the truck was not arrested according to police, but the crash is being investigated. A council spokesman said: “the police have reported that a pedestrian was knocked over by a truck on Monday evening.

“They are not classifying the accident as a serious one. There are no plans at the moment to lower the 20mph limit but the council will continue to monitor how the new layout is being used.”