Health And Safety – Only For The Little People….

Iveta Iravanian, 33, was killed when she ran out into the busy three-lane road while the red man showed.

Her widower Leo, 43, found the lights near Victoria Station in London sometimes gave pedestrians less than half the 12 seconds to cross recommended by the Department for Transport.

Because H&S guidelines, used to prevent all kinds of activities by small, easily-bullied or cowed groups and organisations, can be safely ignored if you are a big enough fish….

An inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court heard that Transport for London (TfL) admitted the junction did not comply with current safety standards.

It seems they did when first installed, but since then, the standards have been upgraded, but the traffic crossings haven’t.

The reason? Lack of funds.

Coroner Paul Knapman asked Mark Beasley, a TfL engineer: "Couldn't the timings have been changed at any time since TfL took over?"

Mr Beasley replied: "They could have been."

When the signal system was installed in 1984, it did comply with safety standards, the inquest heard.

So much for standards. They are only useful if they are kept up to date.

TfL was planning on modernising the crossing, said Mr Beasley, but he said a project to modernise 5,000 lights across the capital had slipped by five to 10 years because of a "lack of funding".

If this was the States, the personal injury lawyers would be salivating at the prospect of rending the flesh from TfL’s bones as a result of this admission.

Timings at the crossing were changed after Mrs Iravanian's death.

Leaving 4,999 crossings still dangerous?

Mind how you go!