Phillimore Road crash: Sheffield Council chief urges residents to report dangerous roads after death of school mum

Coun Douglas Johnson, Executive member for transport, said Sheffield Council can only consider traffic calming measures if they have an official record of incidents.

Mum-of-two Rita Magni, aged 30, died when she was struck by a car after it was involved in a collision with another vehicle on Phillimore Road, close to Phillimore Community Primary School.

Coun Douglas spoke after two mums presented petitions at full council asking for roads in their neighbourhoods to be made safer.

Helen Brown had collected 448 signatures requesting a pedestrian crossing on Psalter Lane near Osborne Road and Brincliffe Gardens.

And Ann Rowan presented a petition with 98 signatures asking for road safety measures on the junction of Haugh Lane, Hoober Avenue and Knowle Lane.

Coun Johnson said: “The sad thing is there are so many locations that are actually far worse, there’s a whole list of things, right across the city, and of course they’re not spread evenly.

“There are far worse places in the more deprived areas, frankly, and we’re seeing that with the real tragedy this week of the woman in Darnall who was killed going to collect her children from school. That’s the real tragedy there.

“I understand there weren’t lots of reported near misses and yet if you read The Star, everyone knew how dangerous that road was.

“It is really important for people right across the city to report accidents or near misses whenever they happen because that data is collected and is actually the basis for deciding where the priority is for getting the next pedestrian crossing or the next traffic calming.

“Without that data that’s largely why things don’t take place.”

Sheffield Council says once the police investigation and the inquest into Ms Magni’s death have concluded, any recommendations given will be investigated jointly by the Road Policing Group and the council’s highways department.

Officers say the highways budget is “extremely limited”.