A PEARTREE pensioner has called on Southampton City Council chiefs to look again at plans to improve safety on a road.

Richard Spake, 75, has welcomed proposals to slow traffic along Peartree Avenue, where cars have been clocked speeding at up to 80mph.

This includes putting in mini-roundabouts at the junctions with Sholing Road and Athelstan Road.

But retired butcher Mr Spake, who has lived and worked in the area since 1938, says a proposal to close a stretch of Peartree Road will do little to improve safety for both motorists and pedestrians.

He wants to see Tranby Road closed instead and Poole Road taken across The Green to Peartree Avenue.

Local residents have mounted a safety campaign following the death last November of 15-year-old Ben Buck. He was hit by a car and knocked into the path of another on Peartree Avenue.

Last month, a second teenager, Lisa Griffiths, 16, suffered serious leg injuries when she was hit by a van just yards from her home at The Winning Post pub.

Householders handed in a 1,200-name petition at a public meeting where the traffic-calming plans were unveiled and received overwhelming support.

Mr Spake, who lives on the corner of Bridge Road and Tranby Road, said: "Drivers and pedestrians have such poor visibility. There are lots of accidents on this corner and just a few months ago there was a three-car pile-up."

A council spokeswoman said: "We are always interested in any practical proposals that can lead to improving road safety and reducing accidents."

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