A MOTHER concerned about her children is mounting a campaign to improve pedestrian safety in Bedmond.

Mrs Carol Cornish, 40, decided to take action after fears she was risking her life and that of her two young children when crossing the High Street.

Now she has secured the backing of her MP and wants to see something done for pedestrians in the village.

Mrs Cornish, who has lived in Bell Close for six years and has two children aged five and three years old, said: "It is a nightmare crossing the road in the mornings. The traffic comes through the village at horrendous speeds.

"As an adult you can skip across halfway but you cannot do that when you have children. My three-year-old is in her buggy and I have to be extra cautious.

"I have stood there for up to ten minutes waiting to cross.

"There is nothing to help people living on the Bell Close side of the High Street and we are suffering."

In the last three years there have been nine road accidents resulting in injury in Bedmond.

The village also heads a league table compiled using information about traffic flow, elderly people, schools and crossing facilities in the area covered by the Highways Partnership.

The high figure has meant its inclusion in a programme designed to reduce traffic problems.

Mrs Cornish said: "I have spoken to lots of people and they said they have been trying for years to get something done and then given up.

"The problem is that from Abbots Langley there is a very straight stretch of road and people do not slow down approaching the village. They come through at speeds of about 50mph.

"We need some sort of traffic calming, a width restriction or traffic island."

In desperation Mrs Cornish went to see the village's MP Mr Kerry Pollard, who gave residents his backing.

Mr Pollard said: "I will do all in my power to get something installed as soon as possible.

"The very least thing would be a central reservation and a dropped kerb so people can wait in the middle of the road. If the road was narrower cars would have to slow down."

Mr Steven Parsons, area engineer for the Highways Partnership, said measures had been designed to improve road safety in Bedmond.

Mr Parsons said: "The mini roundabout at the junction of Bedmond High Street and Toms Lane is being redesigned and a zebra crossing is to be installed.

"Some have said they want the crossing further up the road but we have picked locations where there is the greatest need for pedestrians."

But Mrs Cornish was pessimistic about the effect of the proposed measures.

She said: "I can see why they are putting a zebra crossing in the road but to get from Bell Lane to the crossing, we have still got to walk on the road.

"The footpath is not wide enough. Mothers feel unsafe crossing the road."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.