Motorists have been urged to drive carefully along Shaftesbury Avenue after an elderly woman was killed by a lorry on a zebra crossing.
Mui Lan Lay, 64, a well know Chinatown dumpling-seller, was hit as she paused on the crossing to pick up groceries which had spilled onto the road.
Her death has sparked calls for the extensive roadworks along the busy street to be completed as soon as possible.
Leslie Ng, president of the London Chinatown Chinese Association, urged the council to ensure the pavement widening works are finished quickly to lessen the chance of further accidents.
"The whole area is dug up, the result is there are lots of distractions for drivers and it's hard for pedestrians to stay on the pavement.
"We've been worried about accidents happening here due to the heavy traffic and number of lorries and buses along the road. The police investigation will establish what went wrong in this case, but we must make sure it doesn't happen again."
Westminster Council said the roadworks started in 2007 to allow Thames Water to fix worn pipes.
Cllr Martin Low, the council's transport deputy, said they will finish by the end of the year.
"I appreciate this is a lot of upheaval for residents and businesses in the area but I want to reassure people we monitor street works closely and our contractors are reputable and adhere to strict safety guidelines."
Mrs Lay died on the crossing - near to Dean Street - in front of dozens of horrified passers-by on October 10.
One witness, who did not want to be named, said:
"She was pushing a trolley across the road, something fell out onto the street and while she was bending over the lorry knocked her down - she was very old. She didn't stand a chance."
Mrs Lay was known to Chinatown's Chinese and Vietnamese residents as 'The Queen' and sold snacks outside Ladbrokes' bookies on Gerrard Street. She lived in Deptford.
Flowers, incense and a open box of rice, part of Chinese tradition to honour the dead, marked the scene of the accident.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the accident. Call Euston Traffic Garage on 020 7388 6806.
