Mya Lawrence: Dover mother petitions for bridge at fatal crash site

A mother has started a petition calling for a pedestrian bridge to be built over the road where her young daughter died after being hit by a car.

Mya Lawrence, 13, was killed on the A256 roundabout near Whitfield Hill in Dover, Kent, on 15 October.

Her mother Dawn Hopkins hopes a pedestrian bridge will improve road safety and prevent future deaths.

Kent County Council (KCC) said work would be carried out if a police report into the crash highlights concerns.

Mya had been walking home from a McDonald's near the roundabout when she was struck. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

An underpass already exists beneath the A2 on the same roundabout but Ms Hopkins wants a pedestrian bridge called "Mya's Way" to be built over the road in her daughter's memory.

"It's heart-breaking. No one should go through it. It's really hard," Ms Hopkins said of losing her daughter.

"They're [kids] going to take the shortcut, kids do. It's the only way across that way. Even going the traffic lights way it takes an extra two minutes and they're not going to do that.

"They're going to cross the road, it's the easiest way to McDonald's and they've got nothing else to do."

So far more than 400 people have signed the petition on Change.org.

KCC was unable to comment specifically about the case but said in a statement: "As with all fatal and serious crashes, a full report from Kent Police will be completed to ascertain all causation factors.

"This report will be shared with KCC which will subsequently undertake any highway engineering work deemed necessary to help prevent a similar type of incident from occurring again."

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