A CAMPAIGN for road safety measures close to the new McDonald's restaurant on the edge of Petersfield was launched just days before an 11-year-old girl was injured crossing the road.
Nearby residents met representatives of McDonald's on Wednesday of last week and voiced their concerns about safety on the Winchester Road in general.
They said they wanted a pavement constructed on the road, as well as traffic-calming measures.
The girl, who has not been named, was thrown on to the bonnet of a car and hit the windscreen as she crossed the road with two friends on her way to the new drive-through restaurant on Sunday evening.
She had been forced to cross the Winchester Road outside her home as there was no pavement. She was trying to re-cross it to get to McDonald's when the accident happened just yards from her home in Stoneham Park at 8 pm.
She was struck by a blue Ford Mondeo driven by a 22- year-old Petersfield man.
The girl was taken to the Queen Alexandra Hospital at Cosham with head and chest injuries. She left hospital on Monday and is recovering at home.
The driver of the Mondeo was deeply shocked but refused medical treatment.
Police said there was no evidence that the driver was exceeding the speed limit.
Last Wednesday, residents living close to the new restaurant met representatives of McDonald's for the first local meeting in a series held by the restaurant with its neighbours all over the country.
Spokeswoman for McDonald's Alison Purves told The Herald: "The residents expressed concern about the road in general.
"They said they were planning to write to the county council asking for the pavement to be extended and for traffic calming measures. We agreed we would write a letter supporting them."
Mrs Purves added: "The health and safety of our customers is of the utmost importance to McDonald's and we support the local residents in their campaign to have traffic calming and an extension to the pavement in the vicinity of the new development."
County councillor for Petersfield John West, who until recently was the chairman of the East Hampshire Road Safety Council, told The Herald: "Clearly it is a nonsense for people to have to cross a busy road twice when the section of missing footway is so short."
Traffic management officer for Whitehill police, Eric Martin, added: "If it is feasible to extend the pavement I would support it. Anything to reduce the risk of casualties would be of benefit."
Sgt Paul Baines of Whitehill Traffic Police said he hoped motorists were heeding the message in the current campaign being run by police against speeding.
"There is no evidence this driver was speeding and hopefully it proves our advertising campaign is working," he told The Herald.
"Clearly, if the car had been going even five mph faster it is possible there could have been greater injuries."