FEARS have been raised that a pedestrian may be seriously injured or killed by motorists using a lane as a shortcut.

Teal Lane and Old Farm Close in Pickering are prohibited to vehicles other than those that need access to premises on the two roads.

However, resident Libby Butler claims up to 300 vehicles drive up and down Teal Lane daily, using it as a short cut to either Middleton Road or the A170.

“Many drive at over the 30 mile an hour speed restriction and some even seem to think it is a Formula One race track that requires the bends to be driven at well over a safe speed level.

“The narrow lane is wide enough for a single vehicle and is used by a large number of elderly pedestrians, parents walking infants to the junior schools, teenagers making their way to Lady Lumley’s School and the daily dog walkers.”

Libby added: “Visitors to Pickering, who naturally assume no vehicles other than the odd one visiting a premises in the lane, walk casually down the lane, often to be startled by fast-driven vehicles.

“Some drivers even see it as totally acceptable to park in Teal Lane on the road, making it even more hazardous for pedestrians and again breaking the law.

“Myself and others, including some of the many pedestrian users of the lane, have tried to stop this endless abuse of the law and prevent what we all see as an accident waiting to happen.

“The only solution as I see it, is to adopt what many similar road situations use and that is a rising bollard enforcement method, or permanent bollards as were in situ at the end of Teal Lane prior to the building of Old Farm Close.

“This would still enable emergency vehicle access to all the properties in the lane and close and other legitimate vehicle access to properties.

“If only one end of Teal Lane and Old Farm Close was open, it would no longer be of use as a short cut and then maybe a looming fatality of probably a child will be avoided.”

Area highways manager Richard Marr said: “Any violation of the ‘access only’ traffic regulation order that restricts vehicles using Teal Lane should be reported to the police.

“Using a bollard to close one end of Teal Lane is not something we would consider appropriate. Not only because of the costs involved of installing and maintaining it, but also because it would require additional land to enable an area of highway to be created where vehicles, for example delivery and emergency services, could turn round rather than reversing away from the closure.”