RESIDENTS on Friday pressed a passionate case for traffic calming to stop drivers using Sandbanks like the “Monaco Grand Prix”.

A horrific collision on Banks Road claimed the lives of London couple Alan and Rochelle Bernard a fortnight ago.

The topic was top of the agenda at the Branksome Park, Canford Cliffs and Sandbanks Neighbourhood Watch meeting at the Haven Hotel.

Concerned residents described as “lunacy” the way some drivers treated the peninsula like a “racetrack”. David Armitage said he had repeatedly contacted the authorities over the speeding problem on the peninsula, but no action had been taken.

He said: “We’ve never had a single reply or response.

“Walking along Banks Road is sometimes like walking along a motorway. “It is lunacy. We need calming measures there.

“Something has to be done and it has to be done quickly.”

Ken Pottle, the area’s Neighbourhood Watch chairman, said residents had been “very concerned” about the speeding issue for many years.

Derek Hartley-Brown, another resident, said there was a “definite” need for a speed limit and possibly enforcement cameras.

“Unless we have some way of slowing people down there is going to be a series of accidents,” he said.

“People bomb along Shore Road at 70mph at times.”

The meeting also heard alcohol could often be a factor in the behaviour of drivers in the area.

Other residents also spoke of the “fastest lap” games played by drivers around the peninsula.

Just days before the fatal accident on Banks Road, a survey revealed Sandbanks to be a hotspot for speeding convictions in the UK.

Insp Steve Horton, of Poole police, admitted some driving behaviour on Sandbanks was comparable to the Monaco Grand Prix or a speedway track. He conceded traffic management, such as speed humps or a limit, now seemed to be the long-term solution to the problem.

“I can sense the emotion over this issue and that is something we can take back to the council,” Insp Horton told the meeting.

“If people get together to lobby the council, then we can put pressure on them to take action.”

Although it was questioned whether speed humps might cause an issue for buses that use Banks Road, residents pointed out there are several routes in Bournemouth that included them.

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