A FRESH call to action has come from residents after a fatal car crash on the A41.

A driver died on Friday after his BMW car collided with a pedestrian, veered off the carriageway and crashed into a tree near the Wendlebury Interchange.

The man who died was a 29-year-old from Wallingford, but his name has not yet been released by police.

The pedestrian was also injured but has since been released from hospital.

Circumstances surrounding the crash are not yet known and police are still investigating, but it has reignited long-standing concerns surrounding the ‘clearly dangerous’ A41.

A residents' meeting was held on Monday by county councillor Ian Corkin, whose division covers Wendlebury near Bicester, after he said several concerned residents got in touch.

He said: “I was elected to Oxfordshire County Council in May 2017 and it was pretty much one of the first issues I picked up on.

“The A41 has long been problematic for villagers.

“It is difficult to convey just how dangerous it is.”

Mr Corkin has long been trying to work with the county council and local bus companies about concerns over the bus stops along both sides of the 70mph dual carriageway.

He said: “The important thing is to find a solution that takes pedestrians away from the traffic.”

“They are well-used bus stops, often by residents and particularly school children.”

The county council is currently looking at various options which include a footbridge over the road, crossings and lower speed limits.

Mr Corkin said residents at Monday’s meeting, including friends of the 29-year-old who died on Friday, agreed something needs to be done and were swaying towards a footbridge as the safest solution.

Redirecting the bus routes was also brought to the table as a possible answer.

Police have not suggested the pedestrian hit was waiting at the bus stop, but Mr Corkin said residents were concerned this might have been the case.

Mr Corkin added: “We obviously don’t know the facts of the accident and the police are still investigating, but myself and locals, as you can imagine, are pretty horrified that in the midst of all this there has now been a fatality near these bus stops.”

The councillor said the need for safety improvements was established quickly after he was elected to his post in 2017 and officers were looking into solutions and costs.

This included the possibility of ‘safety money’ coming from the HS2 works which will eventually be using the A41 as a haulage route during development.

He said he would continue to push for the improvements.

Friday's crash came just one week after another serious collision between two teenage cyclists on the same road, but further into the town close to Tesco supermarket in Bicester.