TWO people have died in the space of a week in accidents in busy Lea Bridge Road.

A 12-year-old boy was killed when he rode his bike into oncoming traffic in the main road last Thursday.

Two days earlier, Omar Archer, a 19-year-old passenger, died when a car hit a puddle and swerved into a bus.

During this year, a woman passenger was killed when a lorry and a bus crashed and an elderly pedestrian died attempting to cross the road.

But police say that Lea Bridge Road is not the most dangerous travel route in the borough.

Mohamed Muhidin Jeilani, 12, of Farmilo Road, Leyton, died after his pedal cycle collided with a coach at the junction with Melbourne Road last Thursday at 4.20pm.

He reportedly cycled straight into the main road.

He was taken to Whipps Cross Hospital and died from head injuries.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Collision Investigation Unit on 8345 4922.

Princes Trust volunteer Omar 'Bob' Archer, 19, of Leyton, died in a car crash in Lea Bridge Road on Tuesday last week.

Mr Archer was a front seat passenger in his friend's Ford Fiesta XR2 car.

The three other teenagers in the car, two girls and the male driver, are in a serious but stable condition at the Royal London and Homerton hospitals.

The dead man's mother, Winifred Laurence, of Grosvenor Road, Leyton, wants her son known to her as Bob and to his friends as Chalice to be remembered as loving and caring.

She said: "Bob will always be my baby and, although we argued, he was always respectful and helpful to me."

Mr Archer was training to be a painter and decorator at Newham College, Stratford.

His teacher, Tromie Lee-Dodd, told Mrs Laurence that the teenager had a wonderful sense of humour and showed real commitment to the Prince's Trust programme.

He had many friends and was a keen sportsman, playing basketball and football.

If you have information about the accident, ring 8345 4922

In spite of the death toll, police do not believe that Lea Bridge Road is particularly dangerous.

They say that, given the amount of traffic using it, Lea Bridge Road is comparatively safe.

Clive Treacher of the traffic police said: "We have investigated all these incidents and they have simply been collisions in which driver error has often been the root cause.

"In one of the accidents in Lea Bridge Road the driver was using the bus lane when he shouldn't have been and we are looking forward to the introduction of cameras to stop people doing this.

"It is very dangerous travelling down the bus lane at speed and it is also frustrating for other drivers who are trapped in the traffic."