Campaigners issue urgent 30mph plea after young woman and dog killed in rush-hour tragedy

Birmingham's leading road safety campaign group has called on the council to act urgently to prevent further 'waste of life' in the wake of yet another fatality on our city's streets. Tributes have flooded in for a 20-year-old woman who was killed along with her dog in a crash in Quinton this week.

The victim, 20, was walking along West Boulevard when she was struck by a vehicle at around 8.40am on Monday, June 24. West Boulevard is one of the 25 major city roads where the council plan to cut speed limits from 40mph to 30mph - and campaigners have urged the council to act quickly to prevent further tragedies.

The driver remained at the scene and is helping West Midlands Police officers with their inquiries - there is no indication yet as to whether the vehicle was speeding. Police have issued an appeal for anyone who was travelling in the area and had dashcam footage to make contact.

READ MORE: Community in mourning live after young woman and dog killed in rush-hour tragedy

The young victim of the rush hour crash was remembered in floral tributes at the spot where she died. She was named as Lucy in a note at the scene, with a message saying she "shone so brightly".

A spokesperson for campaign group Better Streets for Birmingham said: "We were horrified to learn of this collision, and our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected. People are being killed in crashes with sickening regularity, and change is not coming fast enough.

"The council promised to reduce speed limits on our arterial routes from 40 to 30mph over a year ago but have failed to do so. It is especially galling that this road would have been included in those changes. A 40mph dual carriageway has no place in the midst of a city as busy as ours.

"It’s time to match the ambition in BCC’s Road Harm Reduction Strategy with delivery, to prevent further senseless waste of life on our streets."

Bystanders gave CPR before handing over to paramedics. Police appealed for anyone who was travelling in Quinton at the time of the crash and has dashcam footage to make contact. Officers can be contacted via Live Chat on the force website, or by calling 101, and quoting log 857 of 24/6/24. You can also email SCIU@westmidlands.police.uk.

This latest collision is the third fatality this month after a cyclist died following a crash with a car in Yardley on June 18 and, just days earllier, a schoolboy was killed in a hit and run smash in Coventry. Earlier this month, Birmingham City Council was urged to rethink a controversial decision to axe the separate transport and highways brief as part of the cabinet reshuffle amid fears that the city’s streets “are not safe for children”.

According to a recent council consultation, 25 people are killed each year on Birmingham’s roads while 400 people suffer serious injuries - figures campaigners have called 'devastating and unacceptable.'