SPEEDING cars have smashed through a Preston woman's garden wall eight times - yet councillors have only just decided to introduce Traffic calming measures.

Rita Collinge, who lives on Ronaldsway, feared for her safety after the last crash left her wall demolished and a car written off. She claims the road had become a rat run for drivers avoiding busy Blackpool Road and has campaigned with Councillor Terry Cartwright for traffic calming measures for three years.

Mrs Collinge said: "On one occasion a girl was having driving lessons with her boyfriend and they crashed through the wall. They were inches off coming into the lounge.

"I wouldn't mind them using the road as a short cut if they drove carefully, but they don't," she added.

Traffic calming measures are due to be introduced in the autumn, but Mrs Collinge believes they should have been introduced ten years ago when the crashes began.

She said: "They are raising the road at one end and putting what is called a 'footway' at the other to slow people down.

"This is brilliant. But I don't see why they can't do it now before the children go back to school and while the weather is still fine. I suppose I should be glad something something is going to be done."

Mrs Collinge enlisted the help Councillor Terry Cartwright, a member of Preston's Highways and Transportation Committee.

Councillor Cartwright raised the issue of speeding traffic before the Highways Committee and helped make Ronaldsway a high priority area for traffic calming measures to be brought in this year.

He said: "There are cars coming through that shouldn't be coming through and many of them are driving too fast."

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