CONCERNED residents of London Colney have spoken about the dangers of the A1081 bypass, following a fatal collision last week.

The stretch of road is used by lorries travelling to and from the Riverside Estate, which houses various companies including Sainsbury’s and DHL.

Ken Peak, of the London Colney Village Concern group, said that the road is “an accident waiting to happen”.

Mr Peak said: “Such a collision had been predicted by people who are familiar with heavy traffic around our village, but nothing positive was done to improve the dangerous situation at Riverside Estate.”

Mr Peak feels that there needs to be better signage along the bypass, but says that his concerns seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “Sadly, I was not surprised to hear there had been an accident here. The slip roads are so short that they’re inadequate for the traffic going into or exiting the depot.

“If you don’t know this stretch of road and you’re travelling along at 70mph, it’s not long before you’re right up behind a lorry either trying to get off the bypass or on it. It’s not very safe for the lorry drivers or people passing by, who can often come upon slow moving traffic with little warning.”

A spokesperson for Herts Highways said that there were no planned works for the area at the moment.

He continued: “We are saddened to hear about this fatal collision and our thoughts and sympathies are with the family.

“A thorough collision investigation is carried out, both by the police and the county council, whenever someone is killed on the roads. Once the cause of the collision has been established, we consider whether there are any measures which could help prevent future collisions.

“Unfortunately, collisions sometimes occur which could not have been prevented through physical changes to the road.

“At this early stage in the investigation process, we are unable to comment further.”