A TOWN centre road which has become an accident blackspot is to get traffic- calming meaures.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has proposed a £17,000 improvement scheme along Railway Road, Darwen, and at its junctions with Knott Street and School Street.

Over the last five years, 14 people have been injured in road accidents in the area.

Capita Symonds, on behalf of the council, is taking action to make the area safer and a consultation leaflet has been sent to residents.

The public consultation ends on January 23 and it is expected that work will begin before the end of the current financial year in April.

After considering the road layout, difficulties in crossing, speed of traffic and the level of on-street parking, the council believes the best measures to implement in the area are pedestrian build-outs and bus-friendly speed humps, Pedestrian build-outs are extra-wide sections of pavement which create clear crossing points along the road instead of crossing between parked vehicles.

The scheme will be funded by the annual accident reduction programme from central government.

Andrew McAllister, who has run the One Stop Copy Shop in Railway Road for 14 years, said he was cautiously behind the proposals.

He said: "Although I'm not here 24 hours a day, I've only seen three accidents. I'm surprised the figure is that high.

"It's like any other road - people do speed where they shouldn't and I do believe in traffic-calming measures.

"But there is a balance to be had. We want safety but we don't want traffic grinding to a halt because of it."

Coun Dave Smith, who represents the Sunnyhurst ward, said: "It's something we've needed for a while.

"I know quite a few residents have been campaigning for a long time for something to be done, because the incident rate is high.

"The council have decided to act because they prioritise areas where a lot of accidents happen.

"That area has always been a problem. There are a lot people around the shops, library, railway station and market, there are sharp bends and people drive fast downhill.

"The roadworks will disrupt traffic in the town for a small time but it'll be worth it to improve road safety."