A senior citizen has highlighted her fears about a stretch of road near her Southampton home.

Linda Butterfield has lived close to Horseshoe Road for most of her life but believes that speeding in the area has increased the risks in recent years.

The 69-year-old said: “I’ve almost been killed as a pedestrian in two separate areas. This is a residential area, people shouldn’t be speeding, you have seniors and children who walk on the road by themselves.”

Zane DeSilva, the MP for Southampton East, which covers the neighbourhood, said that although efforts were made throughout the year to improve safety, it was hoped further action could be taken.

Ms Butterfield said a sharp bend near Westdale Lane was the most dangerous part of the road.

She explained: “The road over here is so narrow you have to hug that corner. Tourists come speeding around the corner thinking it’s a straight road and have gone down [a no-through road near Westdale Lane], but luckily have not gone down the bank.

“If a metal gate were not there, they would be dead before you even hit that spot.”

She claimed that a car once became so close to a woman who was out running that the lady was unable to move.

"I have never seen her in this area since,“ Ms Butterfield added.

The resident was also concerned about Indian Laurel trees that stretch out to the road and block views of oncoming traffic.

She said: “We never had any grass or trees when I was younger, it was safer when no trees were here.”

Ms Butterfield said that a Belco crew attended about two years ago and cut branches to prevent them reaching an electrical wire but since then the tree had grown back and extended further.

She added that she had also seen several crashes or near-crashes on the stretch of road between New Apostolic Church and Scenic Heights Pass.

Ms Butterfield said: “Years ago, a man came around the corner and ended up on the bank.

“When he was trying to get out, the door was in the bush, the fire department had to help him.

“It’s sad because I would hate to see anyone get killed right here. It’s really dangerous.”

Ms Butterfield raised her concerns in a letter to Mr DeSilva, who is also the Deputy Premier and Minister of Housing and Municipalities.

The MP told The Royal Gazette that there were plans to address the matter.

He said: “What we’re doing is looking at maybe widening a section or two, maybe eliminating some of the trees.”

Mr DeSilva noted: “Myself and my executive for Constituency 29 normally go two or three times a year and trim those trees. We’ve been doing that for a decade or more.

“We’re hoping to get some action where we can eliminate those trees, which are a pain to everybody.”

He hoped that some trees could be removed by the end of the year.