Residents call for Wildhouse Lane road safety improvements after near miss

At 3.00am on 24 May a BMW failed to stop and crashed headlong into the ground floor bedroom at Wildhouse Lane/Kiln Lane

Irene Davidson has called for a range of safety improvements to reduce speed on Wildhouse Lane.

Eric Rooney of Kiln Lane was in bed at 3.00am on Saturday 24 May when a BMW failed to stop at the junction and crashed headlong into the ground floor bedroom where Eric was sleeping.

Eric said: “I am a very lucky man indeed, the chassis of the car came right into the bedroom and through my bedside cabinet just inches from my head. The whole corner of the house has been moved three inches, it’s going to cost thousands to put right.”

This incident is the latest in string of accidents that have happened at this junction over the past few years, resulting in walls and gates being demolished, bollards knocked over and cars colliding.

“The traffic on Wildhouse Lane is simply too fast both ways.”

Irene Davidson said: “There needs to be a number of measures in place to combat this problem. We need to ensure that the correct signs are clearly displayed, rumble strips could be installed, speed cameras, even reducing the overall speed down to 20mph approaching the junction.

"It’s the same travelling the other way too, cars are building up speed at the top of Kiln Lane and onto Wildhouse Lane and are way in excess of 30mph as they approach the junction with Croft Head Drive and it’s a hazard simply pulling out onto the carriageway.

“I have spoken to council officers and the police about how we can best solve these issues and there isn’t a silver bullet solution but rather a range of measures we can implement to reduce the risk to drivers, pedestrians and residents alike.”