A NOTORIOUS accident blackspot in Southampton can only be made safer with traffic lights, it has been claimed.

Residents have demanded action after yet another dramatic crash at the junction of Kathleen Road and South East Road in Sholing.

Now city councillor Graham Wilkinson claims that traffic lights would be the “ultimate way” to stop accidents at the spot.

He said that temporary traffic lights should be installed at the site “as soon as possible” to see if they stop accidents.

His comment came after a car flipped upside down on Thursday.

As previously reported, a Kia was found on its roof and smashed into the barriers of a play area, after a collision with a van.

Residents – who held talks with councillors a month ago about new safety measures – said they fear it is only a matter of time before someone is killed at the junction.

Now Cllr Wilkinson said that traffic lights would be a solution to solve the problem.

He added: “I would put temporary traffic lights on that crossroads as an experiment to see if they stop the accidents. If they do, then we have a case for installing permanent traffic lights. I would totally agree that traffic lights would be a solution on that junction.”

Cllr Wilkinson said he will discuss the option with the other Sholing councillors.

As previously reported, residents campaigned to make the junction safer and this forced transport chiefs at Southampton City Council to install speed bumps on South East Road and Chapel Crescent following a 150-name petition by residents.

Dave Sandalls, 70, who has lived on Kathleen Road for his entire life, said: “Measures should be taken as soon as possible. The council spent a fortune on this road, they have tried many things but it has never worked.

“I think that traffic lights would help. I think a lot of people don’t want traffic lights because they will increase traffic but I don’t see what else they can do. They tried everything.

“The other solution could be a roundabout but it would be a bit of a job and I don’t really know whether that would work or not.”

Residents on Kathleen Road said they received letters from the council asking for their views on the junction.

After the latest accident Southampton and Itchen MP Royston Smith said he thought that the junction needed to be raised in order to see drivers slow down.

But Cllr Wilkinson said that in his opinion this would not solve the problem and added: “I don’t think that to raise the junction would help because it is a visibility problem in my view. You’ve got traffic coming from different directions. I understand the difficulty of getting across that road. It’s a dangerous crossroads.”