Darnall Sheffield: Community’s plea for action over Darnall road deaths

Last month, 16-year-old Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Al Yazidi was killed in a tragic car collision on Staniforth Road, Darnall.

However, his tragic death feels all too familiar for the community, which has experienced 11 deaths due to alleged “careless driving” since 2008, according to a website set up by local resident, Hashim Aziz.

Mr Aziz, a software developer who was at the scene of the incident moments after it took place, said he set up the website ‘Stop Darnall Dying’ to raise awareness of the 25 ‘preventable’ deaths in the area in the past 17 years, which include deaths from road collisions and murders.

He said: “It’s a memorial to everyone who’s passed away. These deaths are not just statistics – they were real people that the community of Darnall knew, and they could have been any of our loved ones.”

The website features a detailed timeline of victims with pictures, and a countdown of the number of days since the last death in the neighbourhood.

He added: “You remember most of the deaths, but when you have it there in front of you on the page, it really drives home just how crazy a situation it is.”

Mr Aziz is not the only local resident who decided to take action following Abdullah’s death.

Shama Abdaljawwad has set up a petition calling for more CCTV and higher speed bumps on Staniforth road, which has received more than 500 signatures in just a few days.

Ms Abdaljawwad said many people in the community are afraid to leave their houses after years of dangerous driving, anti-social behaviour and illegal quad bike use.

She said: “Despite multiple fatalities, there has been no meaningful or sustained action to make Staniforth Road genuinely safe. We feel like prisoners in our community.

“Have we got no value? Do we not mean anything? Do our children not mean anything?”

The 49-year-old mum said the current speed bumps were “completely inadequate” as they can be driven around and do not cause damage to a car if driven over too quickly.

Another person was injured on the road on Staniforth Road in a collision on June 20. Ms Abdaljawwad’s neighbour was the person who was injured, and she remains in hospital.

She said: “That road has constantly had issues from day one. We’ve got shops, schools and mosques on that route, but children and people don’t feel safe there anymore after these i n cidents.”

She believes that more safety measures like CCTV, speed cameras and higher speed bumps which have consequences for dangerous drivers will help prevent further incidents on the road.

Speaking to the Star just after the death of Abdullah, Councillor Qais al-Ahdal said: “The local community has been calling the council for a few years now to introduce traffic calming measures.”

“In a public update shared this week, the Independent councillor for Darnalll said: “We need action, not just mere words”. He also thanked Ms Abdaljawwad and Mr Aziz for starting their campaigns.

Mr Aziz said he hoped to develop the website further so that every victim could have their own memorial page.

He said: “Whenever the families are ready to send biographies of their loved ones, or more high quality, detailed pictures, then I’m happy to do that.”

Ms Abdaljawwad also urged those with the power to take action to do so, to ensure that Abdullah’s death was the last.

She said: “My mission is to get this resolved, to get safety measures in place and get my community safe.”

Sheffield Council said they were unable to give a full comment at this time due to the ongoing investigation into the recent fatal collision on Staniforth Road.

They said: “Once the Police have concluded their investigation and the Coroner has issued his findings then any recommendations will be investigated jointly by the Road Policing Group and a member of the Council’s Highways team, as is standard practice in such circumstances.”