I don't think anybody on this thread has actually blamed the driver, there has been a lot of criticism of the victim which makes me feel uncomfortable as, despite having the report of an eye-witness, there may have been other factors to consider (I don't know what they might be, but I don't like the blame game focusing on the victim any more than I would want it focusing on the motorist).

I have suggested that this is a crossing that could be improved. Last year TfL 'improved' this crossing by removing all the pavement fences. Has this made the crossing safer? Has it reduced accidents? Perhaps it is too early to reach a conclusion and perhaps this and other incidents are completely unrelated.

What I would argue is that pedestrians deserve town centres to be safe and easy to access. I believe the crossing points here, and outside the station, and the lack of pedestrian phase at Honor Oak Road, and the lack of crossing points on Dartmouth Road, and poor layout on Perry Vale, all make Forest Hill unfriendly to pedestrians. Let me add to that the narrowness of some sections of pavement - outside William Hill and at the crossing on London Road (opposite Sainsburys), we have pizza delivery bikes driving along the pavements in some places, and skip lorries reversing and post office vans parked across the pavement outside WH Smith. All of this makes Forest Hill less friendly for pedestrians than most town centres in London these days.

When streets are designed with little concern for pedestrians, it is not surprising that some pedestrians feel they have to take risky behaviour - risks are inherently built into the streets. But please be careful crossing London Road.