13-year-old girl hit by car on Cumnor Hill wants support for speed limit change

Madison Dingle suffered serious injuries when she was hit by a car crossing Cumnor Hill, near the junction with Chawley Lane, on June 21 last year.

Her mother, Nichola, campaigned for extra safety measures after the incident and Oxfordshire County Council has now launched a consultation on proposals to ‘significantly extend’ the road’s 30mph section.

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The plans could come to fruition as early as September, marking a major victory for residents who have long thought the 40mph limit is too high.

Madison, who has still not fully recovered from her accident, knows it could make a huge difference and called for people to support the changes.

The Matthew Arnold School pupil said: “They needed something really bad to happen, because it’s such a busy road.

“My accident was the thing that pushed it over.

“It could have been anyone, so it’s important to try to stop it before it happens.

Madison Dingle and her mother, Nichola, at the scene of the accident Picture: Ed Nix

“My friends have tried to avoid walking there since the accident, so it would make me very happy as I could start walking down it with ease again.

“If someone did get hit they’d have more chance of surviving.”

The teenager broke her leg, arm and jaw and had several teeth knocked out in the accident, which saw her rushed to the John Radcliffe Hospital.

Madison Dingle after the accident

Madison had returned to light PE lessons before the coronavirus lockdown, but the impact of the incident on her mouth and teeth will only become clear in her late teens.

Within weeks, her mother launched an online petition calling for the speed limit to be reduced and quickly gained thousands of signatures.

Read also: Huge support for mother's petition to lower Cumnor Hill speed limit

With three schools and a growing number of houses in the vicinity of Cumnor Hill, Mrs Dingle, 49, says the changes are long overdue.

The mum-of-five, who lives just off the busy route on Norreys Road, said: “We’ve been pushing and pushing for it in Cumnor.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for – the whole village knows the road’s too fast.

“There are lots of children after school where the accident happened.

“Madison’s lucky to be alive, as the chances of survival are low if you’re hit at 40mph.”

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Under the plans, the 30mph limit would cover the length of Cumnor Hill, from just beyond the junction of Oxford Road to the junction of Cumnor Rise Road.

The new limit would also be extended about 50m into Oxford Road.

Cumnor Hill Picture: Google Maps

The current 40mph zone has been in place since the mid-20th century, but population growth has created more traffic.

Calls to reduce the speed limit have become louder in the last decade, with Cumnor Parish Council chairman Tom Christophers describing the plans as the culmination of ‘ten years of feeling’.

He said: “Madison’s accident carried a bigger impetus for something to happen.

“Before, there had been no fatalities or near misses, but when a young teenage girl gets knocked down that’s very different.

“It created a lot of momentum and it’s a shame that’s what it took.

“If some good can come from it, it’s that we’ll finally have a safer road and we won’t have another accident like this in the future.”

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Fellow parish council member Judy Roberts, who is also county councillor for North Hinksey, added that 212 new homes or apartments were built along Cumnor Hill between 2012 and 2017.

She said: “I think people have realised in lockdown that they can go places on foot and by bike, rather than in the car.

“If you drop the speed limit then cycling and walking become safer.”

Implementing the changes will cost £10,000, with the county council planning to match fund from Cumnor’s Area Parish Support budget.

Council spokesman Martin Crabtree revealed the consultation had received a ‘good response’ since opening last Thursday, with a report expected at the cabinet member for environment’s delegated decisions meeting on July 16.

If approved, the changes are set to be delivered in ‘late September or early October’, he added.

The consultation runs until July 3 and residents can have their say at consultations.oxfordshire.gov.uk.