RESIDENTS of a road in Mangotsfield say something needs to be done to cut traffic speeds, before someone is seriously injured.
People living in Charnhill Drive are calling on South Gloucestershire Council to bring in traffic calming and a 20mph limit on the road, after three recent accidents revived safety concerns.
They also want to see police enforcement action on their road and Signal Road, which together form a ‘rat run’ route between Mangotsfield Road and Teewell Hill for drivers avoiding the traffic lights on Broad Street by Page Park.
Three accidents in seven weeks between November and January have led to residents contacting local councillors, calling for action.
In November a car hit a parked vehicle and overturned. The driver had to be freed by firefighters and the road was blocked for two hours.
In early January, two cars collided at a junction with a side road: one person was taken to Southmead Hospital and a second had treatment at a minor injuries unit.
Two days later a car left the road at 4.25am and demolished a front wall before colliding with two cars parked on a drive, causing severe damage to both.
Avon & Somerset police say a 21-year-old man was arrested and is due in court in February, charged with drink-driving.
No one is facing further action over the two earlier incidents.
Residents say they are frustrated because traffic speeds and levels plummeted after Signal Road and nearby Charnell Road were closed to through traffic during lockdown, to encourage more walking and cycling.
The experimental closures were removed in 2021 after complaints traffic was being pushed elsewhere.
After monitoring in 2022 found one in five drivers were breaking the speed limit, with one vehicle recorded as hitting 85mph, the council said it would “explore options to help reduce traffic”.
Resident Leon Baker said: “Drivers seem to consider it acceptable to travel at speeds well in excess of the speed limits, regularly.
“After the bollards were removed the council did nothing to stop people using it as a race track.
“This isn’t a one-off – it’s happening dozens of time a day.”
Leon, who has children aged six and eight, said many families had moved into Charnhill Drive in recent years.
He said: “You can’t even let your kids go out on their bike or walk to a friend’s house, because it’s just too dangerous.
“It should be a 20mph limit – there are people walking to Mangotsfield School and the Tynings Primary School and there’s an entrance to the cycle path, which is extremely well-used.
“Somehow no-one has been seriously or fatally injured, however without immediate and rapid intervention from the council, it is only going to be a matter of time.”
As well as a lower speed limit, with enforcement, Leon called for physical changes to the road, flashing speed limit signs and changes in priority, so drivers on Charnhill Drive have to give way to those coming out of side roads.
Staple Hill & Mangotsfield councillors Ian Boulton, Katie Cooper and Michael Bell said: “A few years ago we raised residents’ concerns about speeding vehicles on Charnhill Drive and Signal Road, and recent events have shown that this situation remains live.
“The council is currently looking at an investigation scheme in the area.
“In the meantime it is important that concerns about speeding in any area continue to be reported to the police, as this helps us to demonstrate the need for scarce resources within a competitive environment.”
Speeding concerns for any road can be reported online at tinyurl.com/2bkvutm4.
A council spokesperson said: “We will be considering the viability of traffic calming measures in the Signal Road and Charnhill Drive area as part of our Local Transport Priority List investigations for 2025-26.
“Further monitoring of traffic will form part of this assessment before a decision is taken on the type measures which would deliver most benefit. This could lead to a scheme design being added to our full LTPL for implementation when resources allow.”