A "gentle" pensioner had recently raised concerns about the safety of the road on which he was later killed while crossing, his friends have said.

Chris Smith died after being struck by a motorbike while crossing the A262 Tenterden Road in Biddenden, near Ashford, last week.

The 72-year-old had written in to Kent County Council to complain about the safety of the road just three weeks prior to his death on Sunday, September 18, according to those who knew him.

A police investigation is ongoing after he got off a bus outside the entrance to Woodlands Park at 12.11pm, when a black Honda CBR 1100 is said to have collided with him.

Emergency services attended the scene but Mr Smith was declared dead, while the motorcyclist and a female passenger were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

A number of Mr Smith's friends and neighbours at Woodlands Park have spoken out following the tragedy, saying they were "terrified" to use the crossing.

Kevin Ingram said that Mr Smith would be "greatly missed" by everyone.

"He was very well liked - almost everyone here knew him and you would not find a single bad word said about him." he added.

A resident who asked only to be known as Judy said: "He was a gentle man, well-loved and respected by everyone here. We will all miss him terribly."

The tragic incident has sparked a fresh appeal from the residents to Kent County Council (KCC) to address speeding and road safety on the short stretch of road outside the park.

It is the second serious crash that has occurred in five months, after the park's bus shelter was demolished by a crash between a motorbike and a car.

All that is left of the bus shelter now are two hip-height walls and a half-broken bench. Thankfully, nobody was in the shelter at the time and the motorcyclist only sustained broken bones.

Such was the danger that Mr Smith – who made bus trips to Tenterden multiple times a day – had remarked to his neighbours that he had written in to the council concerning it.

"He told us that 'something has to be done' about it," Mr Ingram explained.

"We truly believe that if something is not done then more lives will be lost, it is as simple as that.

"The speed limit is far too fast, and cars and bikes use it as a racetrack; they sometimes go as fast as 70mph or 80mph.

"We have elderly residents here and a school for children with additional needs right next to us. More people will die if we don't get the speeds lowered."

Mike Bishop said: "Lots of residents here are frightened to use the bus as they are hard of hearing, are partially sighted or have mobility problems – so crossing the road is like taking your life in your own hands."

Another resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "One of my friends here sometimes needs to travel to Maidstone.

"He is so scared to cross that road that he will take the bus to Tenterden just to change there and ride it all the way back in the other direction."

A Kent County Council spokesman said the council was "unable to comment" on the incident while a police investigation was ongoing.

“We are very sorry to hear that a person has died following a road traffic collision on the A262 and our thoughts are with their family and friends," he added.

“As with all fatal and serious crashes, Kent Police undertake a robust investigation to ascertain any causation factors in such incidents.

“The findings are subsequently made known to Kent County Council, which upon advice from the police and the coroner where necessary, undertakes any highway engineering work deemed necessary to help mitigate a similar type of incident from occurring again."