'˜How long before another accident or death on Toddington's Bridle Way?'

An accident witnessed by Chris over the past 30 years that he has lived near the road.

Businessman Christopher Gadsden, claims the B530 Fancott Bridle Way has turned into a death trap, having lived on the stretch of road for over 30 years, witnessing many deaths and accidents during that time.

Chris claimed: “Over 30 years we’ve seen deaths and all sorts along the Bridle Way.

“People come off at junctions 11 and 12 who don’t know the road and how dangerous it is. You’ve got serious bends and blind summits.

A motorbike accident which happened on August 17. The man was taken to Luton and Dunstable Hospital with a serious leg injury. Credit: Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue.

“But we have motorcycles and cars speeding down here, and even though there’s a HGV ban there have been lorries that have flipped over.

“We have had people killed in our field - the vehicles come over our hedge.

“It’s 60mph at the moment, but I want the whole road dropped to 40 as well as speed cameras.

“That might stop the ‘thrill seekers’.

“The police haven’t got time to patrol it, and the council is taking too long to introduce calming measures - my family don’t want to be one of the statistics!”

A Central Bedfordshire Council spokeswoman, said: “We have taken a number of steps to improve safety on this road, including changes requested by residents - extra signs at key points of the road and speed signs on bends.

“We have additionally commissioned an assessment of whether a width restriction, narrowing the road, or changing the speed limit should also be put in place.

“The road has been included in the lorry weight limit restrictions, and we have put additional weight limit signs on the road. We are continuing our on-going education of local HGV companies, working with police to enforce lorry restrictions.”

A Bedfordshire Police spokeswoman, said: “The force has a finite number of resources to deal with an increasing demand.

“Unfortunately, we’re not in the position to be able to deploy those resources just in case, even if it might impact on driving behaviour.Ideally, we would wish to regularly patrol trouble spots, but we must prioritise where the greatest harm or risk is present.

“Anyone with concerns can contact police by calling 101, or in an emergency, 999.”