A Shrewsbury mum has spoken of her shock and anger after a passing car ripped the hood off a pushchair carrying her eight-month-old daughter.
Sarah Renwick, 32, was taking her daughter, Gemma, down Vicarage Road in Meole Village, when the pushchair was caught by the wing mirror of a red Ford Fiesta which then failed to stop.
Nobody was harmed, but Mrs Renwick said after last Thursday’s incident she had suffered from shock and flashbacks.
The two-way road is renowned for being dangerously narrow and residents and councillors have been campaigning for four years to have it improved, including the installation of traffic-calming measures and a footpath going through a nearby field.
“I couldn’t believe it when the car didn’t stop and just drove off,” said Mrs Renwick. “The person in the car must have known that he had hit the pushchair, but didn’t bother to see if we were all right.
“If I hadn’t have hung on tightly to the pushchair and if Gemma hadn’t been leaning out of the pushchair then things could have been a lot worse.
“It made me so angry, especially as residents have been campaigning for four years to have improvements made to the road. The problem with the road is that it is too narrow and the footpath is not wide enough. When the hedges aren’t cut or where there is a lamp post, people are forced to walk in the road. Hopefully this incident will make the county council do something about it.”
Councillor Mike Owen, for the Meole Brace ward, said: “I was appalled to hear about the incident on Thursday and just hope it will make the county council realise something needs to be done.
“I have been constantly told it was a low priority and there was a lack of funding. I am aware of lots of near misses along this road involving pedestrians and vehicles and this has got to stop. People should feel safe walking along the side of a road.”
Kevin Aitken, Shropshire County Council’s traffic management and regulation team leader, said: “We are aware of residents concerns regarding Vicarage Road and this scheme is on our priority list, however it was not shortlisted for our capital programme last year. It will however be re-assessed for inclusion in future programmes.”
Maria Hawkaluk, press officer for West Mercia Police confirmed the incident was reported and has appealed to the driver of the car or anyone who witnessed the event to call the police on 08457 444888.