Heed our warnings and take action before someone is killed on this dangerous stretch of road.

This is the plea of two Watford councillors worried that a mixture of drivers speeding along the A405 in Garston and young pedestrians walking to school could soon end in tragic circumstances.

Cllrs Tim Williams and Steve Cavinder are calling for speed reduction measures to be installed on the route due to the number of crashes in recent months and the close proximity of a number of schools.

The road has a 40mph limit but councillors Cavinder and Williams say this is often ignored by motorists, putting both drivers and pedestrians at risk.

Cllr Cavinder presented a 700-signature petition to Hertfordshire County Council’s highways cabinet panel in February and, while the petition was accepted and highways officers agreed to investigate the matter further and to recommend the introduction of possible safety measures, six months later nothing has changed.

Cllr Cavinder said: “Residents are greatly concerned about this dangerous stretch of road and deserve better. No one wants a serious accident to occur.

"This is a serious road safety matter and it is very disappointing that no safety measures have been put into place nor any plans put forward.”

The two councillors want a safe, lit pedestrian crossing at the longabout outside Woodside Leisure Park, and argue the case for traffic police to attend with mobile speed cameras to deter reckless drivers.

They are also requesting a safer traffic management scheme be installed along the stretch of the A405 running from the A41 roundabout to the junction with St Albans Road.

Cllr Williams added: "We are not letting Herts highways off the hook on this matter and are demanding something be done - speeding traffic and school children is not a healthy mix.

“A bid has been made to the Herts road safety team, and news of this is expected this autumn for implementation next year.

“Also, a further proposal has been made to the pedestrian crossing team at the county council for a signalised pedestrian crossing at the longabout, but again if successful it will not be implemented until 2018.

“We've made these bids previously but were not successful. However we now have a large petition behind us and we intend to get Hertfordshire County Council to take action."

Ralph Sangster, cabinet member for highways at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “We understand the concerns of local residents and we would like to reassure them that the county council highways panel considered a report on this matter in February.

"The council is investigating how to reduce collisions at the eastern end of the A405/Sheepcot Lane Longabout, at the Woodside Leisure Park junction. We would like to thank residents for their patience during this process.”