ACTION has demanded to make a road safer following an horrific accident in which two pedestrians were seriously injured.

A car collided with a man and woman on the tight bend at the junction of King’s Road and Albert Crescent in Bury St Edmunds at about 3.30pm on Saturday.

The woman, whose condition was initially described as life-threatening, remained in the critical care unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, yesterday although her condition was described as stable and improving.

The man, whose condition was initially described as life-changing, is also stable and is expected to make a full recovery.

Following the crash, shocked residents called for safety improvements to be made to the narrow road, which they say is a rat-run during the day, with speeding vehicles at night. Suggestions include turning the road into a one-way street and having speed bumps.

King’s Road resident Debbie Tombs, a 45-year-old mother-of-two, said: “Some people drive far too fast up here. They use it as a race track at night and a rat-run during the day.

“It certainly would be better if it was a one-way street.”

Her husband David, 46, added: “We have been waiting for an accident to happen for years.”

King’s Road resident Arron Cleverdon, 33, who stopped to help at the scene of Saturday’s accident, said: “It’s a built up area. There are lots of young families living on the road. Unfortunately it’s one of those things that was bound to happen.”

He said he would not let his 10-year-old daughter walk to the nearby middle school because of the road.

Amanda Hardy, who owns the house where the car involved in the accident ended up in the garden, said: “Certainly I think the council has to address what they are going to do to make it safer here.”

Local councillors have said they are going to look into the issue. Mark Ereira-Guyer, county councillor for the Tower division, and who lives in Albert Crescent, said: “I think the council definitely needs to look at that bend. You do need to brake and go down to quite a low speed to go around it properly.”

He added: “King’s Road is a major thoroughfare and there’s a great deal of traffic at the end of Albert Crescent on that bend.”

It is not known whether speed played any part in Saturday’s incident.

St Edmundsbury Borough Council would be responsible for implementing any highways changes to the road. A spokeswoman said: “We have not been made aware of any requests to change traffic management in that area, nor received any concerns about excessive speed.

“If we are made aware of concerns then we would consider them alongside other highways priorities.”

- Police arrested a 23-year-old man from Bury St Edmunds on suspicion of failing to provide a breath test, assault causing actual bodily harm, dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.

He has been released on police bail to return to Bury Police Station on February 8.

mariam.ghaemi@eadt.co.uk