A MUM has called for action on a 'dangerous' road after her five-year-old son was knocked down by a car while walking home from school.

Ellie Parkes and her son Alexander were crossing at the pinch point on Battenhall Road, Worcester, when a car hit him on Friday (May 11) afternoon.

“The pinch point on Battenhall Road is an accident waiting to happen,” said Mrs Parkes. “My boy was hit full on by a car and knocked down.

“He’s absolutely fine but it could have been so much worse.

“Obviously, having the visualisation of him being hit by this car and the awareness of how this could have been – that was what stuck with me.”

Mrs Parkes is now campaigning for a zebra crossing on the road and has the support of city councillor Louise Griffiths - who wants to see a crossing on London Road too.

Mrs Parkes has lived in Battenhall for 16 years, and the mum-of-two believes the pinch point, which is a designated crossing between the junctions for Athelstan Road and St Dunstan’s Crescent, is not working.

She said: “The proximity of Athelstan Road to the pinch point makes me question whether the pinch point does more harm than good.”

Mrs Parkes and her son were walking from Red Hill Primary School back to their home in Battenhall at around 3.30pm when the crash happened.

She said: “The car caught his scooter, which took the impact, and he was knocked off it.

“People coming towards London Road have to give way to people coming in the opposite direction – and to those waiting to cross.

“We had been given the go ahead by people going towards London Road and it was clear behind us.”

She said she believes the driver who struck her son was coming from Athelstan Road, but appeared to be sticking to the 20mph speed limit.

She said: “I don’t think she’d seen him. I was blocking the way, so he could cross clearly. She went around me and then caught him, but she wasn’t going fast.

“The fact it is, it’s very dangerous. If anyone had been going quicker, it could’ve been different and the consequences much greater. It’s an accident waiting to happen.”

She said drivers will signal to other drivers coming in the opposite direction to go through the pinch point, but often pedestrians waiting to cross become confused by this and attempt to cross themselves.

She believes drivers coming from Athelstan Road were often unaware of the crossing.

Mrs Parkes’ 10-year-old daughter Louisa has just started walking to and from school with friends and has also told her mum that the crossing is very misleading.

Mrs Parkes said: “A zebra crossing would allow for a greater level of safety – it shows clearly someone is waiting to cross.”

Cllr Griffiths, who lives nearby, off London Road, described Battenhall Road as a “complete nightmare at all times”.

The recently elected Battenhall ward councillor said: “People tend to go through the pinch point and then stay in the middle of the road, which makes coming out of St Dunstan’s Crescent very dangerous.”

“What I think is needed is some form of crossing. My preference would be that we really look at the design of the pinch point and take it away if necessary.”

She said it is heavily used by pupils at nearby schools, like Red Hill Primary and Worcester Royal Grammar School.

She added: “People come speeding around the corner – if we had a zebra crossing it could really help to slow people down.”

Cllr Griffiths, of the Green Party, said the 20mph signage on Battenhall Road also needs to be clearer.

She added: “As you turn onto Battenhall Road from London Road there are two 20mph signs.

“One is painted into the junction, so by the time you’ve seen it, you’ve already driven over it.

“The other is facing a bush – it’s been placed badly. You can’t see it.”

She went on: “This is something we will continue to push for, as well as a proper crossing on London Road because London Road has no safe crossings. It is an accident waiting to happen.

“We will lobby for changes on both roads as traffic calming measures are needed.

“I don’t think we should have to wait until someone is hit and seriously injured before something is done.”

Councillor Alan Amos, cabinet member for highways, said: "Naturally, any situation where a child is injured is awful for all involved.

"We will review the circumstances into the accident on Battenhall Road and see what lessons can be learned."