The father of a schoolboy who was hit by a car on a busy road has thanked the Surrey Comet, after its two-year campaign convinced Transport for London (TfL) to propose new safety measures.
Eight-year-old Ali Nasralla died after he was hit by a black cab in Robin Hood Way, where he lived, while riding his bike.
He had been riding his birthday present home from school with his nanny and older sister on March 6, 2012.
Following the death of the Robin Hood Primary School pupil, the Surrey Comet appealed to TfL calling for the speed on the A3 service road to be reduced from 30mph to 20mph through our Stop, Look and Listen to Us campaign.
Now, 27-months on, TfL has proposed measures which include reducing the speed limit, introducing a one-way exit on part of the road and widening it.
Ali’s father, doctor Murtadha Nasralla, said: "Thank you very much. This is great.
"My son is gone but at least you make me feel happier that they are doing this. Hopefully this will reduce the incidents on the road.
"I went to visit his [Ali’s] grave this morning. There is still that same feeling that I lost my only son. There are lots of memories but life has to go on. We have to look after our daughter now.
"But the pain is the same. Some people say time will heal but I don’t think it will. It just passes. Every single day I see him - I can see his image in front of me."
The TfL consultation document specifically states: "The scheme has been designed in response to local concerns following a fatality involving a child."
At the time Ali’s father wrote an open letter to mayor Boris Johnson asking for help.
It read: "The pain that tragedy has left in our lives cannot be comprehended by anyone except those that know how it feels to bury a child.
"We are a family heartbroken knowing that we will never see our happy smiling son again.
"In my view this tragedy could have been avoided if proper road safety measures had been introduced.
"Reducing the speed limit on this road and introducing speed humps will not bring my son back, I will never read him a bedtime story or kick a ball with him, I will never see him smile again.
"But if by making these changes we can save another family from this tragedy then some light, something positive in memory of my son, can emerge from this darkness."
Former councilor Simon James, who was lead member for transport infrastructure in Kingston at the time of the accident, said: "I do think two years is a bit of a long time but it’s good that TfL is taking action about this safety issue."
The consultation can be found at consultations.tfl.gov.uk/streets/a3-robin-hood-way-service-road until July 4.
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