Residents calling for pedestrian crossings in a village heaving with traffic where an elderly man was knocked down and killed have called the current situation “dangerous and hazardous”.

As many as 20,000 vehicles pass through Sturry crossing in Canterbury on a daily basis, entertaining traffic into the city from Thanet and Herne Bay.

Campaigners have taken aim at a section of road a stone’s throw away from the train station – where Sturry Hill and Island Road meet – saying the lack of safe passageways is proving to be problematic for dwellers.

Calls for change come just days after a man in his 80s was killed after a collision involving a lorry.

However, Sturry resident of 13 years Peta Boucher said a campaign was not started as a result of the incident but rather the near-misses she believes happen in the area daily.

She told KentOnline: “If we’d had safe crossing we wouldn’t have had a fatality.

“But we’ve been trying to tackle this for years and it’s been completely ignored, reducing speed limits and having a proper crossing is essential.

“In terms of the traffic and in terms of crossing, I think it’s really quite dangerous.

“There has been an increase in traffic in the past few years because of building developments but the crossings here just haven’t been considered.

“We’ll have a relief road and a bridge which will take away traffic but this crossing won’t really change – which it needs to do.”

While only a single carriageway, the road sees traffic coming in from Sturry Hill – which is required to sit in an island in the middle of the road if heading towards the city.

Being on a bend, a pedestrian’s visibility to oncoming traffic can be severely limited at times, further adding to the chaos of trying to get across the lane.

There are no pedestrian crossings within the area and rail passengers buying a ticket and heading towards London are forced to cross as the only ticket machine is on the coastbound route.

Crashes and collisions in the area have seen people hospitalised and the number of close calls cannot be accounted for, though campaigners say this is a prominent issue.

Those behind the petition say it is not clear what exact changes could be made, with possibilities including zebra crossings, traffic lights or an underpass.

David Wadmore, who started the petition, said: “It’s not for us to tell the council how to implement safety schemes but it is important that we do something about it.

“And it’s clearly not beyond the minds of planners to know there is an issue with traffic in Sturry, hence the need for the link road.

“This major junction needs to factor in the movement of non-vehicular traffic – it is a hazard.”

The campaign, which has gathered more than 300 signatures in seven days, can be found here.

Fellow Sturry resident Chris Gartland offered his support to the campaign whilst also leading calls for a separate crossing to be implemented further up the A28 at Staines Hill.

The 39-year-old says the junction with Babs Oak Hill is proving to be an issue for those looking to cross the steep 40mph carriageway – with three serious crashes in the past five years.

The civil servant said: “Since my daughter has started secondary school, she now uses this bus stop, and it has highlighted to me how dangerous this road is for pedestrians to cross.

“As a parent, I worry about her safety, and I feel the risk of injury on this road can be negated with the introduction of a pedestrian crossing.

“It is only a matter of time before someone is hit crossing this road.”

A Kent County Council (KCC) spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear the report of the death of a pedestrian in the Sturry Hill area of Canterbury.

“As with all fatal and serious crashes, Kent Police undertakes 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 to be needed to help mitigate a similar incident occurring again.

“One death on our roads is too many and we will work with Kent Police and other partners to ensure any issues raised are resolved.”