A concerned resident is preparing to launch a petition calling on Somerset Highways to urgently implement speeding measures along Berkley Road, following an incident in which a pedestrian was nearly knocked over.
The speed limit on Berkley Road is 30mph; however, the resident says it feels as though drivers do not obey the limit, with some reportedly speeding across the zebra crossing and ignoring pedestrians waiting to cross.
He plans to submit a petition to Somerset Highways and is calling for the zebra crossing outside Selwood Academy — which he says is in poor condition — to be upgraded. He is also asking for speed ramps to be installed and for the road to become a 20mph zone, mirroring recent speed-reduction measures introduced along The Butts.
“It is an accident waiting to happen,” he said. “Changes need to be implemented before someone is seriously hurt.
“The problem is, Berkley Road is a straight road, so people speed up and down it without care and don’t realise there is a school further along. The crossing is dire — you can barely see the markings — and this seriously needs to change.”
Most recently, the resident witnessed a near miss, where he said a pedestrian was very nearly hit by a speeding driver who failed to stop at the crossing outside Selwood Academy.
He said, “I started crossing when traffic had stopped to the other pedestrian’s right. She was very nearly hit by a speeding driver coming the other way.
“I had to stand on the crossing in front of a car to make it slow down and stop — otherwise it would have crossed behind me, endangering my dog who was on a leash behind me. It was very scary.”
