ROAD managers have denied it took a death for them to look at ways of improving safety at a Winchester junction.

The county council is looking at changes in St Georges Street following criticism by a coroner.

Gladys Waite, 90, was killed by a bus in December close to a junction of St Georges Street-Upper Brook Street, branded a danger by the city residents' association and city MP Mark Oaten.

At the inquest in June, Deputy Central Hampshire Coroner Simon Burge criticised the county council for failing to improve the junction.

The council had said the Broadway- Friarsgate redevelopment would divert the buses away from that junction and so make any alterations poor value for money.

A council spokesman said following the death the casualty reduction partnership would look at ways of improving safety.

She said: "Whenever there is a death the partnership looks at a road to see if there is anything that can be done.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say it took a death. We have to look at all roads and make priorities. We are not doing it solely because there has been a death but it does have some impact on what we do.

"It is not a case of waiting for someone to die before we do anything," she said.

The association has been campaigning for years because of the worry that the mix of vehicles and cars in the semi-pedestrianised area is dangerous.

The inquest heard that a bus driver was distracted by a father wheeling a buggy and so did not notice Mrs Waite, of Eastgate Street, crossing the road.

In 2000-01 the residents' association conducted a survey which showed widespread abuse of its semi-pedestrianed status.

Only buses and taxis should use it but out of 833 vehicles seen, some 290 were there illegally.

Maurice Charrett, of the association, said: "The Friarsgate scheme may be years away.

Urgent action is required to make the junction safe for pedestrians and to deal with the abuse of pedestrianised areas by unauthorised vehicles."