Pensioner seriously injured in crash at The Angel after pedestrian crossings are switched off for roadworks

People cross the road at The Angel, where Islington High Street has been closed southbound. Picture: Cllr Caroline Russell Archant

A pensioner was hit by a moped at The Angel junction just days after the pedestrian crossings were switched off for Thames Water to repair the pipe that burst last year.

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The water company is carrying out major works following December’s flooding and the bottom of Upper Street has been closed southbound for three months.

But the decision to shut down the pedestrian crossings at the junction has caused outrage that has only been fuelled by the crash on Saturday. A woman in her early 80s suffered serious leg injuries and was taken to hospital, Scotland Yard said.

Paul Sharp saw blood being washed off the road just after the crash. He said: “The [buttons] all have covers over them saying ‘crossing no longer in use’. What does this even mean when thousands of people are continuing to use it every day?

“TfL have negligently made this crossing very dangerous for pedestrians, instead of just re-programming the crossing lights to take account of the closed lane of traffic.

“An accident within a few days of turning the crossings off says it all, and means they already have blood on their hands for mismanaging the crossing safety.”

The road closures have also angered people living off St John Street, which is not being served by its usual buses for the duration of the work.

Valerie Comer-Coules said: “Residents of Goswell Road and Rosebery Avenue have not only been deprived of a bus route – pedestrians young, old and disabled cannot cross the junction without risk of an accident.”

Green party London Assembly member and Islington councillor Caroline Russell said she was contacted last week about the crossings by people who work at the Angel.

“Lots of people were taking their chances with the often very fast traffic there,” she told the Gazette. “I’ve contacted TfL as it is not ok for temporary road works to ignore the needs of people wanting to cross the road. Hopefully we can get the pedestrian lights restored quickly and a policy commitment to retain pedestrian crossing functionality during road works.”

Transport for London said today it expected to have the crossings up and running by the end of the week.

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