Fatal accident raises further questions over safety of Sheffield junction

Safety fears around a Sheffield junction near where a man died after being hit by a police car were raised almost two years ago.
The pedestrian crossing at the junction of Penistone Road and Owlerton Green, Hillsborough. People have complained that the signals are confusing, and one person has put up a sign to try to clarify them. A man died after being hit by a police car nearby - although there is no suggestion that the signals were to blame.The pedestrian crossing at the junction of Penistone Road and Owlerton Green, Hillsborough. People have complained that the signals are confusing, and one person has put up a sign to try to clarify them. A man died after being hit by a police car nearby - although there is no suggestion that the signals were to blame.
The pedestrian crossing at the junction of Penistone Road and Owlerton Green, Hillsborough. People have complained that the signals are confusing, and one person has put up a sign to try to clarify them. A man died after being hit by a police car nearby - although there is no suggestion that the signals were to blame.

A crossing in Penistone Road, near Owlerton Green, was branded the city’s ‘most dangerous’ by concerned pedestrians in March 2015.

On Saturday evening a 70-year-old man died after he was hit by a police car near the crossing. The full circumstances of the collision are not yet known, but South Yorkshire Police has handed the case to investigators from the Independent Police Complaints Commission, who are trying to figure out what happened.

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An IPCC spokesman said: “We have been undertaking enquiries today (Monday) and the exact location of the collision is subject to the investigation.”

But the man’s death has again raised questions about the design of the Owlerton Green crossing, opposite Livesey Street.

The problem with the signal was first identified in 2015 by Hillsborough resident Matt Turner. He said a ‘green man’ signal facing pedestrians trying to cross Penistone Road from the west was misleading, as it was actually attached to the crossing over Owlerton Green.

This resulted in a green man appearing to pedestrians waiting to cross Penistone Road at the same time as a green light was being shown to traffic. The council admitted the crossing could be ‘confusing’ and said it would look at whether it should be changed.

The pedestrian crossing at the junction of Penistone Road and Owlerton Green, Hillsborough. People have complained that the signals are confusing, and one person has put up a sign to try to clarify them. A man died after being hit by a police car nearby - although there is no suggestion that the signals were to blame.The pedestrian crossing at the junction of Penistone Road and Owlerton Green, Hillsborough. People have complained that the signals are confusing, and one person has put up a sign to try to clarify them. A man died after being hit by a police car nearby - although there is no suggestion that the signals were to blame.
The pedestrian crossing at the junction of Penistone Road and Owlerton Green, Hillsborough. People have complained that the signals are confusing, and one person has put up a sign to try to clarify them. A man died after being hit by a police car nearby - although there is no suggestion that the signals were to blame.
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On Sunday Sheffield-based designer Sam Wakeling tweeted a picture of a sign he had put around the signal, making it more obvious to which road it referred.

The council’s Streets Ahead team, which installed the signals, did not respond to a request for comment.

It is not yet clear whether the man was using that particular crossing when he was hit by the police car.

He has not yet been formally identified, but flowers left by the Owlerton junction paid tribute to ‘dearest best friend Les’.

The pedestrian crossing at the junction of Penistone Road and Owlerton Green, Hillsborough. People have complained that the signals are confusing, and one person has put up a sign to try to clarify them. A man died after being hit by a police car nearby - although there is no suggestion that the signals were to blame.The pedestrian crossing at the junction of Penistone Road and Owlerton Green, Hillsborough. People have complained that the signals are confusing, and one person has put up a sign to try to clarify them. A man died after being hit by a police car nearby - although there is no suggestion that the signals were to blame.
The pedestrian crossing at the junction of Penistone Road and Owlerton Green, Hillsborough. People have complained that the signals are confusing, and one person has put up a sign to try to clarify them. A man died after being hit by a police car nearby - although there is no suggestion that the signals were to blame.

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Flowers left at the scene at the junction of Penistone Road and Bradfield Road where a man died after being hit by a police car.Flowers left at the scene at the junction of Penistone Road and Bradfield Road where a man died after being hit by a police car.
Flowers left at the scene at the junction of Penistone Road and Bradfield Road where a man died after being hit by a police car.