‘Idiot drivers that go too fast’; Bow mum takes on reckless drivers on Roman Road
Bow mum of two, Mondana Boustani, has started a petition urging the council to ‘take immediate steps’ in tackling dangerous driving on Roman Road.
Mondana Boustani, a mum of two living in Bow, is taking on reckless driving on Roman Road by starting a petition demanding the council take ‘immediate steps’ to tackle the issue.
Boustani, who’s lived near Roman Road for over 20 years, has noticed multiple occasions of dangerous driving along Roman Road, particularly from the junction on Grove Road.
She launched the petition on 16 June after a recent incident on Grove Road where, while picking up her two children, aged 4 and 6, from Olga Primary School, she saw a man overtaking another car at around 60mph despite the 20mph speed limit.
Boustani said there have always been ‘idiot drivers that go too fast’, but walking her children to and from school has confirmed to her that something needs to be done.
Boustani told the Slice, ‘It’s like a free-for-all, and there seems to be no form of control.
‘The people who are driving down, they just can’t seem to see what is going on on the pavements and how easy it could be for an accident to happen and to cause something really dangerous.’
This isn’t the first time questions have been raised about the safety of this stretch of road: two children were hit by cars in 2022 and 2023, one of which was on Grove Road and the other outside Olga Primary School.
Boustani’s 86-year-old mother, who has been helping with school pick-ups, has resorted to going a different way home to avoid the most dangerous stretches of road.
Boustani continued: ‘They just don’t seem to have any care for the fact that they’re driving something that could kill people.’
As well as speeding, Boustani has also noticed multiple drivers taking balloons of nitrous oxide while behind the wheel.
Boustani has discussed the issue with neighbours and thinks there are many possible solutions, including bollards or speed cameras.
There are three zebra crossings at the Grove Road junction onto Roman Road but, for Boustani, they give a false sense of security; her grandmother was once knocked down while crossing one.
She said, ‘I think we’re very aware of the dangers of a zebra crossing, even though they’re deemed safe.’
Currently at 204 signatures, Boustani’s aim is to reach 2000 signatures by 28 July, and will be flyering with her children from next week to raise awareness of the cause.
You can sign the petition here.
If you liked this story, read ‘Reclaim our summers’: Petition demands cutback of major event days at Victoria Park
