Battersea residents are claiming a road near the Wandsworth Bridge roundabout is an accident hotspot after two crashes in just three days.

Len James, who lives in Dungeness House, York Road said a motorcyclist was thrown off his bike on Thursday, July 4, after colliding with a car which skidded into the Savoy Garage, near his home.

On the following Sunday night, Mr James heard fire

engines and an ambulance, and saw a car in a mangled condition by the 44 bus-stop outside Homebase.

He said: "York Road has got to be slowed down and the speed limit should be reduced to 30 mph, because bikes easily do speeds of up to 90mph.

"Not a day goes by when there isn't an incident and there are always cars tooting their horns where the three lanes converge into one at the Wandsworth Bridge roundabout. Vehicles don't give way to each other and race to get there first."

Susan Brown, who lives in Battersea High Street, agreed with Mr James.

She said: "This road is in urgent need of special cameras before there is a fatality."

"If pedestrians had been walking by on Sunday evening, they would have been seriously injured or killed. There is a great need for speed cameras here."

Ian Sommerville, from Dungeness House said there was another accident 10 days ago, when a man was knocked off his moped.

He said: "Luckily his injuries were not serious but he still needed hospital treatment. We either need traffic calming measures and/or speed cameras here before someone is killed."

However a spokesman from Transport for London said the area was "one of the best examples of accident reduction".

"Traffic lights and two red-light cameras were installed at Wandsworth Bridge roundabout in 1998, as well as

improved cyclist and pedestrian facilities," he said.

"In the previous three years there were 92 personal injury accidents, (PIA) of which two were fatal and 15 were serious.

"In the three years ending April 2001, there have been 38 PIA, of which none were fatal and five were serious."

He added, "Traffic signals and a speed camera were

installed on York Road in 2000, as well as a CCTV camera by McDonalds on the corner of Swandon Way."

July 17, 2002 10:00