RESIDENTS have hit out at "ridiculous" speeding on a Bromley Cross road, claiming the issue could have potentially fatal consequences.

The concerns were raised at the Bromley Cross Area Forum yesterday evening, after a question was emailed to the forum concerning council plans to "curb excessive speed" from cars driven on Hospital Road.

One resident said: "Somebody is going to get killed eventually. It's like living on a motorway now."

He added that he had invited councillors to visit the road in 2011 to see the issues and that nothing was done leading to it becoming "100 times worse now".

Another resident said that cars were often seen speeding in excess of 50 mph in the road, which has a 20 mph speed limit, adding that the same issues were happening on other roads.

A response from the council's highways department read out in the meeting said: "As there has been no injury accidents on Hospital Road during the past five years on that basis there is no justification for proposing additional measures at this time.

"One of the measures we are currently looking at is the replacement of the driver feedback signs and this could be a potential location for those signs. However those signs have not been finalised as yet.

"Members are are looking at a number of sites at the moment and we will be making a decision soon as to where those two new signs would be located."

The driver feedback signs indicate and display the speed of passing vehicles and also record data any time a vehicle passes travelling in excess of the speed limit.

Councillors attending the meeting suggested that the data could then be presented to police to encourage them to take action against speeding vehicles in the road.

Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Norman Critchley said that ward councillors would "do their best" to ensure the police follow up on promises to enforce 20 mph speed limits in the area.

He added that he also pushing for mobile driver feedback signs to help enforce limits and gather data on multiple roads.

Councillor David Greenhalgh said: "When we had those signs before Hospital Road was one of the locations, and it would certainly be on our list of locations that we would look to use again.

"But with that also come Blackburn Road, Darwin Road, Chapeltown Road and Turton road. So in effect Hospital Road is the only estate road that we include, so that should show you the level of priority we do give it."

Suggestions were also made at the meeting for the construction of traffic calming devices on the road such as speed bumps and chicanes.

However council members and officers in attendance questioned their feasibility, suggesting that a chicane could cost between £5,000 and £10,000 to construct in Hospital Road.