A CHARITY boss hit by a bus in Harrow Town Centre says “so many people will get hurt” if nothing is done to make the road safer.

Zuhur Elmi, 49, chair of Southall based Somali Youth Helpline, was struck by the double-decker 140 in Station Road just days after it was reopened following months of roadworks.

The pavement was lowered, which some say gives the impression it is still out of bounds to traffic, and Mrs Elmi says she stepped out in front of the bus assuming the area would be free of vehicles.

Even before work started the road had been a one-way bus route and was reopened to buses going in both directions while she was on holiday in Dubai.

Talking exclusively to the Harrow Times she said: “They should put something to tell people to take care. Especially if there are buses coming from a direction people are not used to.

“They should put some barriers by the cash point. They did a terrible thing, there's no safety. If they don't do something about it so many people will get hurt.”

She added: “I'm a very careful person. I'm a driver and since 1996 I've been driving without an accident.

“I'm very healthy and fit. If it could happen to me it could happen to anyone.”

The impact was so traumatising it left the driver in tears and witnesses described hearing Mrs Elmi screaming and crying as she lay bleeding in the road.

She was in a life threatening condition in the hours after the collision and was rushed to St Mary's Hospital, in Paddington, where her condition gradually improved.

She is now out of hospital but still feeling the affects of her injuries and needs further treatment.

She said: “I get dizzy a lot, especially if I look up and down and when I'm trying to lay down on my bed. As soon as I put my head on the pillow I'm in circles.

“That's what's worrying me. It was a big blow on my head. They put me under another x-ray and said 'you have a crack in your skull'. They realised there's a small crack on my skull.”

Edward Herbert, of Priory Avenue, Sudbury, is blind and has added his voice to calls for road safety improvements in the area.

He said: “I wonder whether that accident has anything to do with the removal of the curb along that stretch of Station Road and replacement of the curb with a tactile corduroy strip?

“Who could have thought up such a dangerous and crazy scheme? And how could Harrow Council have approved it?

“You will never again get me walking along that stretch of Station Road on my own, without being accompanied by a sighted guide.”

Councillor Keith Ferry, responsible for planning and economic development at the council, said: “During the design of the scheme, we carried out a number of safety audits in conjunction with Transport for London to make sure the new layout met safety guidelines and we were satisfied that the scheme met accepted safety standards.

"Since last week's accident we have installed additional signs to remind people of the new two-way system.

“The police are currently investigating the circumstances of the accident and we will of course review any advice or recommendations they have to offer.”