RESIDENTS at one of the busiest crossroads in the Forest are calling for action after the sixth crash in 11 days.
"I'm really worried over the bank holiday weekend," said Mrs Angela Parker, who runs the Pygmy Pinetum at Cannop Crossroads with her husband Keith.
And she is calling for a blanket speed ban of perhaps 40mph across the Forest which would radically alter the whole way people treat the area.
She said the latest serious accident involved elderly people pulling out into the Coleford-Cinderford road and being hit.
"Nearly all the accidents follow the same pattern," she said. "But it is a whole lot worse now it has become so popular, with lots of cyclists too. We even get buses dropping sightseers on the crossroads, because it is such a focal point.
"This adds to the problem by blocking the view for motorists to pull out. It is worse for visitors who do not know how dangerous the crossroads are, but now we are getting more and more local people involved in crashes too.
Stop signs
"We have tried to get something done in the past and a man from the council came out. As a result of that they put up big Stop signs, but it hasn't really made any difference.
"Our neighbours are finding it a nerve-wracking experience, and the people in the cottages down the road who also hear the bang when there is a collision."
She said an overall limit might be difficult to police but it should be seriously considered. Speed bumps and other calming methods had been discussed but she did not think they would be practical.
"It is time that driver treated the Forest with a bit of respect. It is a lovely area to drive through more slowly so that its beauty can be appreciated."
She said she took the elderly people in and gave them tea before an ambulance arrived and took them to the Dilke for treatment, but she was often worried a more serious accident would happen at the crossroads and the two nearby cycle-track crossings.
"We get whole families wobbling to a halt just in time – and they often have toddlers, too," she said.