CONCERNED residents are calling for action to tackle traffic problems in a busy Malmesbury street before a child is hit by a car.

A group of residents in the Reeds Farm area have launched a petition which asks Wiltshire Council to introduce double yellow lines or parking restrictions in Webbs Way, where there have been some accidents already.

The street is lined by the cars of commuters during the day and as a result there is often only room for one vehicle to pass at a time and poor visibility for both drivers and pedestrians.

People who live in the area fear that a child could be hit by a vehicle while trying to cross the road.

Helen Small, who lives in Webbs Way, said she understood that drivers needed a place to park but that the cars lining both sides of the street had made the road dangerous, especially for children walking to and from Malmesbury C of E Primary School.

“You can understand them trying to find a place to park for free but an accident is waiting to happen here," she said.

“The children cross there on their way to go to school at the C of E primary school. I just feel I’ve got to do something before someone gets hurt.”

She added: “I think it is people who don’t want to pay for long-stay parking. People are there from 8.30am to five or six in the evening."

After raising their concerns at a Malmesbury Town Council meeting, the group of residents were advised to petition Wiltshire Council for changes to parking restrictions.

However, they were warned that it could be some time before changes on the ground are made.

Malmesbury town councillor Andrew Woodcock, who lives in Reeds Farm, said that the problem was very real already as accidents had happened along the road recently.

He said: “It’s not a hypothetical thing because we were all talking about it this morning [Tuesday] and a friend of mine said she had been hit twice by a vehicle.

“The speed they are coming down here at is astronomical. On a normal road it would be up to 30mph but on a built up road it should be lower.

“I’m worried that nothing will change and then something will happen which will be a tragedy, whether it is a group of school children being hit, a mother with a pram or anything else."

A spokesman for Wiltshire Council said that the residents’ application to get changes was in the early stages but that progress was being made.

He added: “We have received the request for parking restrictions in this area, and it will be looked at alongside all other similar requests.

“If the scheme is taken forward, there will be a consultation as part of the Traffic Regulation Order.”