Row between council and residents over Bent Lane speeding continues after car crushed by driver

Boy racers and speeding HGV lorries are making residents of Bent Lane frightened to cross the road. Now, they are calling for tougher measures to make drivers stick to the speed limits.

For years, residents in Leyland have raised concerns about the way drivers are using Bent Lane, claiming it has become a 'dangerous race track'.

Urgent safety action has been asked for, including speed cameras and community speed watch signage, but Lancashire County Council has thrown out concerns saying there is 'no significant issues with speed'.

And Lancashire County Council has also confirmed that they have only recorded one incident along the 30mph stretch of road in the last five years.

The news comes after an RPH student nurse had his parked car crushed by a driver speeding along Bent Lane in the early hours of Sunday morning, August 15.

Resident and mum-of-two Nicky Peet previously set up a petition calling for a safe crossing for children and their families after she became increasingly concerned about the safety of the road.

She said: "The council says there isn't a problem but they don't live here and they don't see it day to day as we do. The problem is often reporting it, as people are not going to report every time somebody speeds down the road because it happens so often.

"The attitude is fatality first action later and I think it is disgusting. I am so shocked with the way the council have reacted to this and I nearly fainted when they told me that they don't see a problem with the way drivers use the road.

"If it wasn't a problem, why would more than 200 local people all sign a petition calling for a crossing and expressing the same concern about speeding? If that many people are saying it is a problem, it should not be met with that attitude, it should be looked into further.

"It has not been properly looked into, the council used a speed indicator device at quieter times and have drawn conclusions far too soon, but it will be far too late when somebody dies. There have been so many near misses already. It is an accident waiting to happen.

"The residents can't do any more about it, it is in the council's hands. We have been asking for help for years and it should be made available to us. Pets have been killed, people's cars have been damaged and parents are becoming more worried about the safety of their children.

"It is a forgotten road that people think they can get away with stuff on and use it as a shortcut to speed through and nothing is done to protect us. Its a scary time because it could so easily be someone's life.

"We need cameras, better signs and paintings on the road to encourage people to drive slower and watch their speed. When the park is complete it may help deter people from speeding, but it is not enough. We need action."

A playground just off Bent Lane is set to go under a £200k renovation to expand the park and introduce more than £140,000 of brand new park equipment.

But parents on the Facebook group 'Friends of Bent Lane' have raised their concerns about the safety of the road, as the park will encourage more children to visit the area and put them at risk.

And students of nearby Balshaw's C of E School, Leyland Methodist Junior School and Runshaw College all frequently cross a busy and congested Bent Lane according to mum Nicky, but are now beginning to avoid it over speeding concerns.

Student nurse Tom Newby, 33, lives on Bent Lane and had his car hit by a driver speeding along Bent Lane at 2 am on Sunday morning, August 15 . He claims he is frequently woken up in the middle of the night by drivers revving their engines.

He said: "I can remember accidents that have happened on this road years ago, and there are so many near misses caused by speeding cars. People at Bent Lane have been asking for change for ages and we feel the council keep saying something will be done and never doing it.

"I'm glad it was my car that was hit and not a family with young children, or if I would have been sat in the parked car. We have issues with cars and lorries speeding down here because they see it as a straight stretch of road they can fly down.

"A driver hit my car in the early hours of Sunday morning and the bang woke us up. He must have been going so fast because it pushed my car forward at least 20 metres. It's so disappointing because the hospitals are really struggling at the moment and I need my car to get to my shifts.

"The biggest worry for me is that children using the new park could be hit by cars speeding along here, especially because the visibility is so bad. They lure children in with the prospect of a new exciting park but if a kid runs out they could be killed.

"We need something in place to make drivers stick to the speed, either bumps, speed cameras or more signs to make people aware. You can hear drivers revving and flying down here it is bonkers.

"The council are doing such a good job at improving Leyland so I don't understand why they wouldn't prioritise someone's life and make the road safer, because it will be too late when something happens."

Local Conservative County Councillor Jayne Rear for Leyland South carried out a survey asking residents what the best solutions would be to calm traffic, with speed bumps, cameras and improved road signs topping the list.

She said she 'understands the frustration' of local people and will continue to try and improve the situation going forward.

She said: "I know people are using it as a rat run and we have had numerous complaints about it. I intend to keep working hard for the people of Bent Lane, as they have been great to work with and I completely understand their concerns

"I am very frustrated to hear about another accident on Bent Lane this weekend and glad that no-one was injured. Once again, it underlines the fact that we must find a way to calm traffic.

"As I promised in my election campaign, I will continue my efforts to find a solution to the traffic issues on Bent Lane. I have arranged a site visit with the Cabinet Member for Highways to discuss making much-needed improvements."

However, Highways at Lancashire County Council have thrown out concerns about speeding on Bent Lane after their speed indicator check showed there was 'no issue'

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "Our available information about speeds on Bent Lane do not show a significant issue with speeding, with most drivers travelling within or only slightly above the 30mph speed limit.

"We are aware of one incident involving someone being slightly injured within the last 5 years in an incident involving a collision between two vehicles, however we understand there may have been very recent incidents which have not yet appeared on our records.

"We would ask people to report incidents of anti-social or dangerous driving to the police to help improve the available intelligence about this area so that this can be taken into consideration in the future."