By Phil Coleman

Last updated 16:33, Saturday, 05 July 2008

Pedestrians looked on in horror as a 40-year-old Carlisle woman was hit by a bus on one of the city’s busiest streets.

The bus at the scene of the accident

The accident happened just before 11am yesterday in the bus lane next to Lowther Street Job Centre.

The unnamed woman, who is from the Harraby area of Carlisle, was treated at the scene by paramedics before being rushed to the Cumberland Infirmary with serious injuries.

As police tried to piece together what happened, there were fresh calls for safety improvements on the road, which has seen a number of fatal accidents.

The collision happened with such force that the windscreen of the 61 Harraby bound Stagecoach bus involved shattered.

In the minutes after the smash, an off-duty firefighter gave the woman first-aid.

Paramedics then continued treat the woman for several minutes before taking her to the infirmary. Police have confirmed they have spoken to witnesses and examined CCTV images of Lowther Street at the time of the accident.

The accident scene was sealed off for more than an hour as police examined the scene.

Many pedestrians who were in the area said the accident could have been prevented if safety barriers were erected along the entire length of Lowther Street.

That idea yesterday was backed by at least two city councillors while Cumbria County Council confirmed that safety improvements were planned but did not include putting barriers along the entire street.

Michelle Elliot, 61, who works in the WJ McGraph shoe shop on Lowther Street, said: “I just heard the ambulance but you hear them that often that you don’t automatically look.

“There should be railings along the road. I feel sorry for the bus drivers. It’s nearly one accident a month on that road now. That poor woman looked to be in an awful state.”

Pedestrian Mavis Nixon said: “Something should definitely be done: it’s a dangerous road. It’s like dicing with death – a lot of people just won’t carry on to use the road crossings.”

Stephen Mountjoy, licensee of the Lowther Street Liberal Club, said: “A lot of people don’t realise it’s a bus lane.”

Carlisle MP Eric Martlew, in Lowther Street a short time after the accident, said he did not know the circumstances of the accident but added: “You have to analyse what’s gone wrong and see if we can learn from it.

“One idea might be introducing a very slow speed limit.”

Carlisle’s Yewdale city councillor Joseph Hendry backed the safety barrier idea, saying: “We could do with railings or some kind of barrier there.

“It’s such a busy thoroughfare that we have to look at the ‘safety furniture’ which could be put there. Perhaps more crossing points are needed on the road.”

Fellow city councillor Hugh McDevitt, who represents Denton Holme, called for more safety barriers on Lowther Street last year after a tragedy was narrowly averted when a young girl fell into the road.

He was particularly worried about the hundreds of schoolchildren who use the road during the week.

A spokesman for Cumbria County Council said the authority’s local committee for Carlisle is due to consider a new scheme for Lowther Street at their next meeting on July 15. The local committees Area Transportation Advisory Group discussed this last week.

The £60,000 scheme aims to optimise the use of road space, including safety for pedestrians.

He added: “It does include changes to pedestrian barriers, but it is not possible to extend barriers along the length of the Lowther Street because there are crossings and bus stops and because the street offers the only access and loading for several business premises.

“We have been working with Stagecoach on the design of the scheme which is part of Carlisle Renaissance. The local committee is being asked on July 15 to agree to proceed for the statutory stage for making the necessary changes to the traffic regulation orders in the area.

“We plan to introduced the scheme in phases to minimise disruption and aim to finish by Easter 2009. The scheme does not include plans to reduce the speed limit on Lowther Street from the current 30mph.”