Long Melford councillors call for road safety improvements in Hall Street as development causes increased traffic

Safety concerns have arisen over traffic stemming from increased development in a Suffolk village, after several reports of pedestrians being hit by passing vehicles in recent months.

Long Melford councillor Richard Kemp has written to Suffolk Highways requesting urgent safety improvements to the pedestrian access along Hall Street, which is used by hundreds of residents to access the village’s main shopping area.

It follows a recent instance where an 82-year-old man was reportedly struck by a vehicle as he was walking by the Bull Hotel, at a point where the footpath drops down to the same level as the road.

Mr Kemp – a Suffolk county councillor – explained this was one of several similar incidents to have occurred in the area over the last year, and called on the highways authority to act before there are any serious injuries.

He said: “Can we please look at the dangerous situation again and come up with any ideas on how to improve road safety for pedestrians?

“This is the access point for pedestrians from hundreds of houses into Hall Street – the main shopping area of Long Melford.

“Traffic has increased with the building of more houses and thus, the dangers for pedestrians have increased as a consequence.

“There must be something that can be done to improve matters for pedestrians.”

Fellow councillor John Nunn – who represents Long Melford at parish and district level – echoed these concerns, describing the access point as ‘an extremely dangerous pathway’.

He suggested raising the footway by the Bull Hotel and implementing warning signs, so as to deter vehicles from mounting the kerb, as well as the possibility of priority signage to ensure only one lane of traffic would pass at a time.

A Suffolk Highways spokesman subsequently confirmed that the matter would be investigated.