The number of cars speeding along residential roads trap elderly people in their homes and endanger children a campaigner has said.

Giles Hodgson, 37, of Prospect Road, Woodford Green has been campaigning for traffic calming measures to be installed along the road since August last year.

At a council meeting on Thursday January 21, Mr Hodgson asked if councillors agreed with residents that a peak hours traffic block, wider pavements, and more 20mph signs is the best solution to solve the traffic issues.

Mr Hodgson said: “When we did our own traffic monitoring, there was something ridiculous like 280 cars in one hour and around 90 of them were speeding.

“Residents’ health is suffering, our children aren’t safe to walk or cycle to school, and elderly people don’t want to go outdoors, so they end up stuck inside their houses.”

Almost 300 residents have signed a petition to ask Redbridge Council to implement traffic calming measures similar to those already in place in Woodford Green in Fairlawn Drive, Cavendish Avenue, and Kelvedon Way.

A consultation between residents and the Highways Agency took place throughout 2010 and 2011 to try to resolve the problem, but Mr Hodgson claimed it was unsuccessful.

He said: “These problems are still very much there, so the consultation was largely ineffective.

“It gave residents six options. We need to make the question more narrow; a referendum style ‘do you want these traffic calming measures or not?”

Cabinet member for environment and sustainability Councillor Baldesh Kaur Nijjar said: “We are happy to increase the number of signs, but when we consulted in 2010 we didn’t get concrete answers from residents, so further investigation is needed.”

Mr Hodsgon said he is expecting a response from the council within the week.

Redbridge Council has been contacted for comment.