Following a very upsetting road accident recently involving my Son, it has been made very clear by residents messaging on social media that he really was incredibly lucky to escape with minor injuries due to the area being notorious for speeding.

It has become increasingly evident that Bridge End Lane, where the incident happened, is a danger zone. Many parts of the village already have speed deterrents and it is a real concern that the duck pond/bridge area doesn't have any, especially when this is an area that is often frequented by children. The road has a speed limit of 20mph and is also quite bendy, with a park, and a couple of shops including a Co-op right opposite the duck pond/bridge.  There is also a primary school with no safe place for children and adults to cross the road.  Although there are double yellow lines along this part, drivers including delivery vans still park there. This makes the area even more hazardous for pedestrians, particularly as it is not the easiest road to cross either. I strongly believe that a deterrent such as the installation of speed bumps or vehicle width restrictors either side of the bridge would help slow vehicles down and prevent a much worse or fatal incident happening in the future. A zebra crossing would also be beneficial. Many members of the community who reside in this particular area have expressed their ever-growing concerns and anger at the persistent speeding. Many have conveyed that they are convinced that a terrible accident will happen at some point, following several near misses. Some have also suggested that they have witnessed drivers, many of whom are younger, driving along this road at over double the speed limit! This is just not acceptable!   

I have been informed that there is a meeting with the Council and Essex Highways already scheduled for Monday 13th January at the community centre on Great Notley. We can all make a difference by signing this petition to be presented at the meeting on Monday.  This will highlight the issue to those within our local council who have the ability to change things and I hope, make Bridge End Road safer for us all! 

Our village has an amazing community spirit, it is very-well looked after and is a lovely place to live and for our children to grow up. We need to make it as safe as possible, by making known our concerns to those that can really make a change and prevent one of our children from being seriously hurt or worse, gone from us forever. That's certainly what I first thought when I received the call about my Son. It was an awful moment in time and even more so when we arrived at the scene. Whilst on this occasion, the incident did not involve a speeding offence, we count our blessings that we are so very lucky to still have him here. I do not want anyone else in our village to receive a call like we did but not be as fortunate.

** UPDATE ** Following on from many comments also regarding the crossing of the A131 to The Astronomer pub/restaurant, this petition will now include a resolve to this safety issue, which could also slow down traffic entering the village via Panners Farm into Bridge End Lane.