Residents of Kerne Bridge, Sally and Brian Charlton, attended their local parish council meeting last Wednesday to ask the Walford councillors for support in their campaign to improve road safety in the area.

It is a very popular place with walkers, cyclists and canoeists as well as people staying at the Inn on the Wye or the Flanesford Priory. However the road is also used by commuters, trade and haulage vehicles travelling between the Forest and Ross and the M50 links.

The Charltons are extremely concerned that children and the elderly, who often cross the road at both ends of the bridge, could be injured as the amount of traffic using this route continues to increase.

They claim that frequent vehicular collisions occur at the T-Junction as emerging traffic from B4229 comes into conflict with fast moving traffic on the main route B4234. They say that the collisions are often minor, but some have been more serious.

The Charltons see the key problems as traffic speed and the poor quality of pedestrian walkways.

Their least costly suggestion and the easiest to implement would be to reduce and control the speed of vehicles. They would like to see the 40 mph limit reduced to 30 mph through the village and a 40 mph limit should be introduced from the bridge and beyond the Goodrich village boundary.

They also think that the filter lane for traffic approaching Kerne Bridge from Lydbrook should be removed so that traffic turning left to cross the bridge would have to slow down.

They realise that their other suggestions would be more expensive but if funding permits they would like to see the walkway, from opposite the Inn-on-the-Wye up to Goodrich to be improved. As a minimum, the footpath on the bridge itself is crumbling and needs immediate repair.