Renewed calls for lower speed limits on Bromley's roads after the death of a young mum and her baby in Penge have been played down by the council.

Penge and Lewisham West MP Ellie Reeves called for a debate in Parliament last week following the fatal crash on January 13 - and accused Bromley Council of "failing" to impose 20mph zones.

Nicole Newman, 23, was pronounced dead at the scene after being hit by a car around 8pm in Croydon Road.

The crash also left her eight-month-old son fighting for life in hospital, but police confirmed today, January 21, that he has died.

 

The 51-year-old driver of the car was also injured but was was discharged from hospital and helping police with their enquiries. He was not arrested.

Whereas other councils across the country have signed up to lower speed limits in residential areas, Ellie Reeves pointed out this was not the case in Bromley.

Paying tribute to the tragic deaths, the MP called for an urgent debate on blanket speed limits in Parliament.

She said:  "Whilst there has been no suggestion the driver was speeding, our council in Bromley has failed to implement 20mph limits in residential areas despite pressure from Labour councillors to do so."

Councils have the power to drop speed limits, with nearby Lewisham already imposing lower restrictions.

Speaking to the local democracy service, Mrs Reeves said afterwards: "Regarding the tragic deaths of Nicole and Luciano Newman as I said in Parliament there has been no suggestion that speeding was an issue in this case.

 

"However, I believe we need to do all that we can to make our roads as safe as possible, particularly in residential areas.

"Since my election in 2017, I have received many requests from constituents in Bromley asking me to take action on reducing speeding on residential roads. This has included Church Road, Crystal Palace Park Road, Forster Road, Hamlet Road and Patterson Road.

"As road safety is a council matter and does not fall within my remit as an MP I have made numerous representations to Bromley Council but never have I received a satisfactory response. 

"There is more the council can do to reduce speeding such as speed bumps, speed cameras and implementing a 20mph zone in residential areas."

MORE - Tributes for mum Nicole Newman killed in Penge as baby fights for life

Councils such as Bristol, Brighton and Manchester have all adopted the policies, but there has been mixed feedback on its success.

Bromley councillor William Huntington Thresher, the executive member for the environment, said there was no evidence lower limits were the answer to road safety.

Cllr Huntington-Thresher said: “No one could fail to be moved by the tragic circumstances that unfolded on Croydon Road only a few days ago and naturally our thoughts and condolences go to Nicole and Luciano Newman’s family and friends.

"There is however no evidence to suggest that a blanket 20mph limit is the answer but a sustained focus on road safety and driver education is and fatal collisions are now extremely rare in our borough.

"This follows our focus on reducing serious and fatal collisions and the reductions we have seen over the years mean that Bromley’s roads have amongst the lowest collision rates anywhere in London.

"All of this is of scant consolation to those who are currently grieving though, where all right-thinking minds should be focussing at this time.

"We continue to focus on all aspects of road safety to further reduce collisions in the years ahead and have just finished the consultation on our latest transport and road safety policy to ensure it remains up-to-date.”

MORE - 20mph speed limit across Bromley ruled out by top councillor

Last year more than 500 people signed a “20 is plenty” petition calling for lower limits in the Bromley.

The council recently finished consulting with residents on transport priorities for its third Local Implementation Plan.

According to drafts, the council has a target of reducing the number of deaths on its roads to zero by 2041.