The Herts Ad is backing a call for vital safety improvements to a major route into the city after the latest in a long list of serious crashes resulted in the death of a motorist.
A man in his 30s was killed on a 40mph stretch of the St Albans Road shortly before 9.30pm on Tuesday night after a collision between a grey BMW 520D and a black Mercedes C180.
It comes just weeks after another serious accident in which a vehicle travelling from Sandridge to St Albans left the road just before the Sandringham Crescent turning, ending up in a homeowner's garden.
Resident Georgina Cooper is trying to organise a campaign group to petition for safety improvements between the King William traffic lights and Sandridge village: "This was a tragedy for the family and loved ones of the victim of this crash and our thoughts are with them.
"We hope that this will be a serious wake up call to ensure better safety measures on this stretch of road so that our children and others can live in safety.”
The campaign has three main demands:
- a 30mph limit to replace the existing 40mph;
- traffic calming measures between the King William and Sandringham Crescent turning;
- a safe pelican crossing near the bus stop so residents can cross the road safely between Sandridge Gate business park and Chalkdell Fields.
The road is used by many pupils walking to Wheatfields and Sandringham schools, as well as parents with young ones in buggies trying to access DJ's Jungle soft play centre.
Neighbour Rob Davey said: "In the last four months alone there have been two serious accidents involving excessive speed and dangerous driving.
"In both accidents the vehicles responsible were travelling so fast that they ended up upside down in residents' front gardens, damaging their houses and on top of grass verges/banks.
"This part of St Albans Road is now surely classed as residential with many houses and flats and I cannot understand why the local authorities have not looked at reducing the speed limit from 40mph.
"From my own personal experience and observations, it is only a matter of time before the unthinkable happens and residents or pedestrians are killed by a vehicle.
"This road is not designed or the volume of traffic or the speed limits in place and something needs to be done!"
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