RESIDENTS of a road in Bournemouth fear "one day a child will be killed" if the current 30mph speed limit is kept.

Drivers have been caught at speeds of nearly 70mph in Queen's Park Avenue and residents are calling on the council to lower the speed limit to 20mph.

One resident, Stephen Blandamer, has started a petition which has reached more than 1,000 signatures, and demands the council take the issue of speeding more seriously. 

Bournemouth Echo: Children cross the road here in Queen's Park AvenueChildren cross the road here in Queen's Park Avenue

Stephen said: “Councillors Mark Anderson and Cheryl Johnson have been diligently trying to get some action on the road, but ultimately it falls to Councillor Mike Greene. 

“There is a distinct lack of leadership around road safety. They treat it as an academic exercise – they aren’t out and about looking at the problem.” 

Stephen uses a bounded box which he installed east of the fixed speed cameras. Data last Friday night (June 17) showed one driver had averaged 67.3mph whilst driving down a stretch of the road. 

Bournemouth Echo: Speed cameras are already fitted in both sides of the roadSpeed cameras are already fitted in both sides of the road

He added: “It’s more luck than anything that nobody has been killed, especially as there are children crossing the road every morning as they go to school. 

“We’re not talking about somebody going slightly over the speed limit. This is people driving 130 per cent over the limit. 

“On the north side of the road people whip round the corner and it’s dangerous. One woman overcooked it on that corner and whipped round the corner and hit a lamppost. 

“There are speed cameras on both sides of the road, but what tends to happen is people slow down and as soon as they get past they speed up again.” 

Jim Dipple, another resident of Queen’s Park Avenue, added: “The density of the traffic is increasing and the speed is off the scale. It will only be a matter of time before somebody is killed.” 

Bournemouth Echo: A lamppost was knocked down by a speeding driverA lamppost was knocked down by a speeding driver

In the last few years, a resident’s brick wall has been smashed into and a lamppost at a crossing has been knocked down “about four or five times”.

The latter causes other issues, as in the darker months visibility is poor, which, Stephen said, “will likely cause more accidents.” 

We contacted BCP Council for a comment.