RESIDENTS of one of the busiest roads in the town have warned that a serious accident is inevitable because the pavement on a rail bridge is so narrow.

They want the county council to make changes to the Henley Road bridge which has become increasingly busy with more traffic heading towards Debenham and villages on the edge of the town.

And they fear that with the development of the northern fringe over the next decade the amount of traffic could increase yet further.

Geoff Peake, who lives in Henley Avenue, has organised a petition among local residents who fear a serious accident on the bridge.

He said: “The pavements are just too narrow and the vehicles come across so close to the sides that their wing mirrors sometimes clip people.

“You get quite a lot of lorries and buses using this road and when they pass on the bridge it is very dangerous. We’re sure there will be a serious accident if nothing is done.”

He has been in touch with the county council and plans to send the petition to the councillor with responsibility for transport, Guy McGregor.

Mr Peake said: “We want them to look at what can be done. We have suggested that they get rid of one pavement and make the other one wider, but they say they can’t do that because of the services under the bridge and because it would unbalance it.

“We just want them to look at other solutions.”

A spokesman for the county council said there had been improvements made to the road – electronic signs warning of the narrow bridge had recently been installed.

He said: “Once we have studied the petition we will talk to the local resident and see if there is anything further we can do to make it safer.”

n Is Henley Road bridge safe? Write to Your Letters, Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail starletters@archant.co.uk