Victoria Station: Families' safety plea as third woman hit by bus

Catherine Evans - BBC News
·2 min read

The families of two women killed at a central London bus station have called for change after another woman was seriously injured.

She remains in a life-threatening condition after a double-decker bus struck her outside Victoria Station.

Relatives of Catherine Finnegan and Melissa Burr said the area should be closed and "made safe for pedestrians".

Transport for London (TfL) said work to improve safety was carried out last year.

It said it would work with police "to see if additional safety improvements are needed".

Ms Finnegan, 56, died after she was hit by a double-decker bus in January, and 32-year-old Ms Burr died in August 2021 after a bus driver mistakenly pressed the accelerator pedal rather than the brake.

In a joint statement, their families said they were "devastated to hear of another serious incident near Victoria Station".

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim of this bus crash. We are calling on the Mayor of London and Transport for London to close this area until it is made safe for pedestrians."

The statement said the news had been "very upsetting for both families", and that "clearly change is needed".

The double-decker bus at the scene
A female pedestrian was transferred to a "major trauma centre" [BBC]

Transport for London's head of buses, Tom Cunnington, said all three incidents were "distressing for everyone involved".

"Our thoughts remain with the people who have been killed and seriously injured after collisions in Victoria," he said, adding support had been made available for those affected.

"Last year, we carried out works to Victoria Bus Station to improve pedestrian safety.

"We will support the police with their enquiries into the causes of the incident near to the station on Friday to see if additional safety improvements are needed.

"Safety is our utmost priority in all that we do and we're determined that it will continue to be at the heart of our transport network."

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