Campaigners call for speed action on Bewdley bypass

Campaigners want a review of speed limits on a bypass where they claim drivers reach speeds of up to 100mph.

Residents said motorists regularly exceeded speeds of 60mph amid a rise in anti-social driving on the A456 in Bewdley, Worcestershire.

In the past five years, four people have been killed and 13 seriously injured on the stretch of road.

West Mercia Police said it was listening to the community about issues affecting roads in the area.

The force said it was using speed camera vans in the area.

"We are aware that there are concerns, not only in relation to the speed that vehicles are travelling, but also in relation to some of the anti-social driving, typically from younger people who are using this road in the early hours," Ch Insp Jake Wright added.

Alan Phillips, who works as a coach driver, said he was concerned about "dangerous" driving in the town.

"People [are] just disobeying the rules of the road and speeding, and I mean speeding," he said.

"I don't mean 50 or 60mph an hour, I'm talking about 100mph."

One viewer told BBC Midlands Today the four-mile Bewdley bypass was a "hotbed of noise and intimidating driving".

Another described how speeding drivers and "boy-racers" on the bypass meant some people were unable to sell their homes due to noise nuisance.

According to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), there were 71 road deaths across the West Midlands last year, 42 of which were in the West Mercia area.

A resident in the parish of Bartestree and Lugwardine, in Herefordshire, told the BBC drivers had been using rural roads in the village as a "race track".

Rebecca Guy, road safety manager at RoSPA, said speed limits should be treated as a maximum and not a target.

She said the speed limit of 60mph could be reviewed in rural areas or villages which may have more pedestrians and cyclists.

"What we also need to do is to educate people about how we can use those roads safely," she added.

"And also looking at ways that we can encourage people to drive to the speed limits, so looking at things like enforcement."

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