Work has begun on a new pedestrian crossing in East Finchley near where a woman was killed crossing the road three weeks ago.

Building materials and slabs can be seen fenced off on either side of the High Road as initial work has already started.

The new crossing near the junction with Lincoln Road comes after a petition from residents 18 months ago which raised concerns about road safety.

Last month a 63-year-old woman was killed when she was hit by a car at the junction nearby with Lincoln Road in the early evening of March 16.

She died days after Barnet Council’s environment committee approved the new “refuge” crossing on March 14.

Labour councillor for East Finchley Alison Moore said: “There has been a number of accidents there in the past few years, and this has been in the pipeline for at least 18 months. What we have at the same time is the response to the death three weeks ago.”

“I’ve since spent a lot of time talking to officers asking if we’re absolutely clear that we have done all the technical work, including checking sight lines.”

The flowers for the woman who died three weeks ago have been moved to the base of a tree that stands nearby.

Cllr Moore said the crossing wasn’t in direct response to the woman’s death, but said she believed it was “important that we got the crossing in.”

She said: “I wish it had been in earlier. It’s hard when someone is killed, you wish something had changed earlier.”

The councillor, who was elected in 1998, said: “It’s a busy junction, with the dry cleaners and shops nearby, and the post office having moved up the road.”

A council spokesperson said: “This pedestrian refuge is being built to address residents’ safety concerns. Our subsequent consultation with residents and ward members showed that there was broad support for the new pedestrian refuge, so we have been able to proceed with its subsequent installation.”