Residents call for drivers to ‘slow down’ on Berkley Road

THE safety of pedestrians along Berkley Road has been called into question by residents who have said the speeds of vehicles driving along the road are ‘shocking.’

The speed limit on Berkley Road is 30 mph; however, residents have said it feels like cars ‘do not obey’ the speed limit and have been seen ‘speeding’ across the zebra crossing and ‘ignoring’ pedestrians who are waiting to cross the road.

One resident said, “It shocks me as to how fast the cars are that drive along this road. The other day, as I was at the zebra crossing, I witnessed a car speed over the crossing just as a little girl was about to walk out into the road. She was unable to cross and the driver just ignored the fact that pedestrians were on either side of the crossing.

“Drivers need to be mindful that there is a school on this road. Something needs to be done before someone gets hurt; it can’t go on like this. There are also hidden pedestrian alleys on either side of the crossing, obscuring their approach to the kerbside, aggravating the situation. Drivers need to take more care.”

Calling for action to be taken to improve the signage along the road, another resident said, “As far as I can remember, there is no signage on the road to indicate that children could be crossing outside of the school. One of the beacons is obscured by trees, so it’s difficult to see. The zebra crossing could be repainted too because it is fading. Pedestrians have the right to walk out on the crossing but should take care not to do so immediately as a driver going too quickly would be unable to stop in time.”

The coordinator for the Community Speedwatch team, Ashley Reay, said, “We do have a CSW scheme along Berkley Road as the police speed enforcement team carries out regular checks. Last year, 28 incidents of speeding were recorded by the police along that road.”