A £100,000 road safety project at the accident blackspot where schoolboy Tyrese Hannah was fatally injured started yesterday.

Drove Road will be completely redesigned at its junction with Belle Vue Road and Cricklade Road.

Both Cricklade Street and Drove Road will be narrowed and two crossing points, complete with pedestrian islands, will be added to Drove Road.

There will also be footway widening to make the area more pedestrian-friendly and an existing speed activated sign will be moved up the hill.

Caroline Hannah, from Old Walcot, could do nothing to save her seven-year-old son from being hit by a car in Drove Road on March 14, 2008.

Sean Austin was jailed for three years at Swindon Crown Court last year for causing Tyrese’s death.

Tyrese, a pupil at Lethbridge Primary School, died four hours later at Great Western Hospital. His pet dog Odi also died.

Sean Austin was jailed for three years at Swindon Crown Court for causing the death of Tyrese.

Now Caroline, 35, who has no other children, said that although she supports anything to improve the safety on the road, she thinks if it had been done earlier her little boy might still be alive.

She said: “Anything to improve the safety of the road has to be good idea.

“We’ll never know for sure and it would be hard to predict if it might have made a difference, but there may have been a chance.

“There are a lot of incidents on Drove Road that aren’t ever reported to the police.”

The scheme has been supported by residents of the area for years, including families living at Cirencester Court who have campaigned for safety improvements in Drove Road since 2006.

Bob Sanders, Swindon Council’s transport manager and road safety team leader, said: “The work is programmed to take six weeks.

“We are committed to reducing the number of people killed or injured on our roads and one of the ways we look to do this is by monitoring all injury accidents on the highway.

“We pay special attention to locations where people have been killed or seriously injured, and when appropriate we introduce safety schemes to reduce the likelihood of further injuries. In addition we also undertake a variety of other measures, such as providing road safety education on a range of subjects “The scheme has been designed to make drivers more aware of the need to keep within the 30 mph speed limit.

“The road will be narrowed, some pedestrian guard railings will be installed and two new vehicle activated speed limit reminder signs will be provided.

“As a result, a short section of road will become one-way so northbound traffic from Belle Vue Road will no longer be able to join Drove Road lower down the hill.

“As with all residential roads, drivers must continue to be especially aware of the vulnerability of pedestrians and cyclists.

“This scheme has been developed in consultation with local councillors and residents.”