A father has called for the speed limit to be reduced on a main road to help stop deaths and serious injuries.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Mr Munna would like to see speed cameras along the route as well. Picture: Ken MearsMr Munna would like to see speed cameras along the route as well. Picture: Ken Mears (Image: Archant)

Afzal Munna wants to see motorists limited to 20mph and safety cameras installed along Dagenham Heathway.

Business lecturer Mr Munna said: “It’s important to reduce the speed limit because of the accidents that happen which cause injuries and damage people’s property.

“It’s a very long road where people try to speed. Reducing the limit and putting in speed cameras will encourage people to slow down.”

The 39-year-old added that children, who are returning to school, were especially at risk when drivers don’t bother stopping at zebra crossings along one of the borough’s few main north-south routes.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Mr Munna would like to see speed cameras along the route as well. Picture: Ken MearsMr Munna would like to see speed cameras along the route as well. Picture: Ken Mears (Image: Archant)

Postal worker Jeff Hollis was killed in a car crash on the road in April.

Mr Munna, who is vice-chairman of the borough’s Liberal Democrat Party, wrote to Dagenham and Rainham MP Jon Cruddas to raise his concerns. The issue was raised with the town hall as a result.

The route is described as lending itself to motorists “inadvertently” increasing their speeds because the Heathway is a “wide, straight” road in a letter sent in reply to Mr Cruddas by a My Place services manager.

It acknowledges that speed may be a factor in the number of incidents “of varying degree of severity” along the route, which has links to the A13 and A12.

The town hall’s regeneration arm, Be First, commissioned walking and cycling charity Sustrans to work with locals on designs for improvements along the Heathway’s shops, including ways of making pedestrians feel safer. A town hall spokesperson said there are a number of traffic calming measures in the Heathway including speeding cushions, signs and cameras.

“Simply changing the speed limit signs would have a small impact on drivers’ behaviour, and a transformation of the layout is needed at this location,” he added.

The letter to Mr Cruddas acknowledges the whole route needs to be looked at, including “ideally” a 20mph limit. But such a scheme would require a “significant” amount of money and “robust” case to be put together ahead of an approach to TfL for funding.

Covid-19 paused the collection of traffic data to build the case for investment, but the town hall will be doing this in the coming weeks to progress its funding proposal.