CALLS for safety measures to protect motorists turning on to the busy A449 Worcester to Malvern road from Bastonford and Colletts Green have been renewed by Powick residents and the parish council.

Rod MacKichan, of Sparrowhall Lane, said there were more than 20,000 vehicle movements a day on the A449 and traffic turning right from Bastonford or Sparrowhall Lane had to cross four lanes of traffic.

It was equally dangerous to try to turn right into Sparrowhall Lane on leaving Powick, because motorists behind other drivers on the dual carriageway would simply think they were trying to overtake.

"The dual carriageway offers little benefit to traffic, but it does increase speed in both directions and coming up to the lights we suddenly have to merge into a single lane," Mr MacKichan said.

"There are many accidents and near-misses precipitated by the increase in speed."

He called for the reduction of the dual carriageway to single track, with safe havens for traffic turning right.

John Mason, a parish councillor who first advocated similar measures three years ago, said traffic had become considerably worse in the meantime and still nothing had been done.

"To have four lanes of traffic converging at a point where people are trying to cross is a death trap," he said. "There is a racetrack mentality after the lights and then it goes back to a single track. There is no logic in it."

He said the carriageway should be reduced to single width by hatching, with a 50mph speed limit all the way to Malvern.

The council agreed to write to the county highways department asking for action.

Members also had concerns about congestion at the Powick roundabout on Worcester's southern link road. Chairman Andy Lamb said the volume of traffic had increased and the installation of peak-hour traffic lights seemed to have disappeared from the highways agenda.

Andy Walford, of the County Highways Partnership, said there were plans to improve the roundabout at a cost of £1.25m, in 2009-10.

The five-year programme for improving traffic flow on the southern link road was due to start at Whittington and Powick would be last on the agenda.