‘Take action over death trap bridge’ in village near Biggleswade, pleads dad

A concerned dad from Langford fears it’s only a matter of time before somebody is killed at an accident hotspot he claims is notorious for speeding motorists.
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Matthew Presland has described the railway bridge at Langford as a “death trap” after a road traffic collision at 2am on Sunday – although it has not been confirmed if speed was a factor in this incident.

He said: “Does it take a family to get killed before people realise what a death trap that bridge is?

“Action needs to be taken. I live directly facing the bridge and the two cars that crashed could of easily ended up in my house.”

The bridge near Matthew's houseThe bridge near Matthew's house
The bridge near Matthew's house

Matthew, of Steamer Croft, who has a three-year-old daughter, said the road should have traffic calming measures introduced.

“The road needs traffic lights or a traffic calming measure installed,” he said.

He said people also cross the bridge on foot.

“They cross the bridge to walk their dogs along the railway and there isn’t a path over the bridge,” Matthew added.

“They are mad crossing the bridge. It’s very worrying for us and everyone on the estate. We all have children and have concerns about the junction out of our estate because it’s a blind hill, you don’t know when a car is coming, it’s guesswork.

“I am deeply concerned about the safety of my family and other people’s families on the estate I live on.”

He said it’s not the first time a crash has taken place on the bridge and added: “How many more times is it going to happen before something is done about it?”

He has contacted Langford Parish Council who said they are looking in to the matter.

The parish council told the Chronicle: "We have been pushing CBC to carry out work to Edworth Road for some considerable time. Despite CBC refusing the reinstatement of line markings due to following national guidelines on reducing road markings - we are persisting with our efforts and have recently put a valid case forward to CBC along with comments from our residents on the dangers faced on this road.

"The work we have been requesting includes work to the eroding verges and reinstatement of the central and verge road markings.

"The Edworth Road Bridge is also a concern, particularly when vehicles speed and the increased usage by HGVs over the last few years. We will support our residents in every effort to see an overall review of this location and also the roundabout at the Old Boot PH - both of which are dangerous locations in the village."

A spokesman for Central Bedfordshire Council said there are no plans to introduce traffic calming measures.

She said: “We routinely monitor fatal accident reports received from the police and use the accident information recorded on the police database to inform us where to prioritise our spending on safety schemes.

“There have only been two other minor accidents at this location in the last five years, so we don’t currently have any plans to implement any further traffic calming measures.”

> Do you share Matthew’s concerns? Email [email protected]

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