TRADERS on a street in Cirencester are campaigning for a ‘dangerous’ new kerb and shared road space to be scrapped after numerous pedestrians were injured and at least one hospitalised with a serious head injury.

Last Tuesday afternoon, 66-year-old holidaymaker Christine Vivian was taken to hospital after tripping and hitting her head in Castle Street outside greeting card shop Tidings.

The new lowered kerb design, part of a shared space for shoppers and motorists, has been created as part of a town centre redevelopment project, due to be completed in November, to further pedestrianise the town centre and help ease the traffic flow.

Tracy Hurry, manager of Tidings, said: “She tripped and suffered head trauma. She was really shaken. You just can’t see where that kerb starts.”

Christine, from Swansea, was taken to Great Western Hospital in Swindon, having been tended to by paramedics for more than half an hour, and was released later that night.

“She came back in a couple of days later and had a massive lump on her head, from her eyebrow to her hairline,” said Tracy.

She said the accidents have become a daily occurrence and those in charge of the redesign need to act.

“I count at least three people tripping on the kerb every day. Day after day after day,” Tracy said.

“Often it’s right outside our shop and people will then sit on our ledges to gather themselves.

“This whole thing is causing so many problems, it’s frustrating.

“Do we wait for a tragedy? It seems somebody would have to get really injured for anything to be done.”

Hilary Young, financial controller at R.J. Holmes Opticians, criticised the confusion created by the shared space.

“You see mothers with pushchairs trying to navigate the street and they’ve either got cars driving past them or there’s cars parked right along the shared surface, with no restrictions.

"What exactly is the purpose of this space?

“There’ll be hell to pay if there’s a fatality,” she added.

Earlier this month, a government inquiry was launched into the accessibility of the built environment, including shared space highways, following several recorded fatalities in recent years.

The move came as a result of a campaign against shared spaces, spearheaded by Sarah Gayton, an activist and filmmaker, alongside Lord Holmes.

Ms Gayton, speaking to the Standard, said: “The trips [in Cirencester] people are experiencing are not in isolation. The same problems happened in Cheltenham. It’s the same county, so why has this happened? Do they not learn from each other’s mistakes? It has also happened in Herefordshire and in Hanley [in Staffordshire] and Stoke-on-Trent.

“We [the campaign group] went to London for the sixth time [in July] to ask for an inquiry into this issue and have continually submitted evidence from local papers about these schemes to the government to show there are fundamental problems with the design and mis-information being promoted about them.”

The national inquiry is being undertaken by the Women and Equalities Committee and covers all aspects of the urban environment in the UK.

Ms Gayton added: “We are delighted that this inquiry includes shared spaces and I personally see it as a fundamental game changer.”

Following her ordeal, Christine is now back home in Swansea.

“I was at hospital for three or four hours getting scans and being checked over,” she said.

“There was no blood so I didn’t need stitches and was released the same day.

“I’m a nurse so if I’d recognised any symptoms, like headache or dizziness, I would have gone back.”

She underwent knee replacement surgery 14 weeks ago and the fall has meant her recovery has had to be put on hold.

“It’s set me back, unfortunately. I haven’t been walking around and it’s meant my knee has gone a bit stiff,” she admitted.

Following the incident, Christine and her husband, who like to travel around the country in their motorhome, are now wary of heading back to Cirencester as plans to add similar kerbing across the Market Place are being implemented.

Andrew Tubb, Cirencester Town Council’s chief executive, said “concerns raised relating to the kerbs and crossing the road in Castle Street during the works have been passed on to our contractor”.

He said: “The works which are on-going in Castle Street include parking provision along the kerb edge in addition to a raised level surface and formal zebra crossing being provided.”

He added: “As for the concerns relating to pedestrianisation, the scheme has always been based on shared space principles; the continued vibrancy as a market town is vital and why there will continue to be parking provision in the Market Place.”