RESIDENTS living near the Blacknest “corridor” have enlisted the help of highways engineers and police in a campaign to improve road safety.

They have had enough, they say, of vehicles abusing the speed limit; of the inappropriate size and volume of traffic travelling through the tiny hamlet of Blacknest, and the use of the route as a “rat run” from the A325 to the A31 and to access Bentley Station.

Described by one resident as “a minor road with the traffic of a main road, but without the safety features” Blacknest Road has been the site of at least 10 serious traffic incidents since 2007 - the most recent in May last year when a motorcyclist died after he came off his bike near the Jolly Farmer crossroads.

According to residents, despite the 40mph speed limit, motorists regularly drive at speeds of over 70mph despite there being no footpath and the road being regularly used by runners, horseriders and cyclists.

The problem is compounded by HGV drivers, including those accessing the Blacknest Trading Estate, who regularly ignore the signage and find themselves confronted by a low railway bridge at Bentley, forcing them to reverse back along the narrow road and around blind bends to turn round.

The fear is that new development planned in the area, bringing an additional 123 parking spaces (for Broadview Farm, Blacknest Golf Club, new units at the Trading Estate and Oak Tree Farm), together with the prospect of increased traffic, from an expanded Whitehill and Bordon, using the Blacknest corridor to avoid bottlenecks on the A325 in Wrecclesham and to access Bentley Station, will have an “enormous” impact on communities living along the road, especially during rush hours.

Binsted Parish Council, at the end of last year, held a public meeting to enable residents to flag up problems.

The need for traffic calming was felt to be essential, with residents favouring signs painted on the road surface, to maintain the rural nature of the area, and village signs showing images of children playing.

The Jolly Farmer crossroads were considered high priority with suggestions of a mini roundabout, mirrors to improve visibility, and even traffic lights which detect speed and turn red if approached by vehicles travelling over the speed limit.

Highways officers and police have come on board, according to the parish council, to discuss ways in which improvements can be made.