RESIDENTS are calling for safety measures at a notorious bend on a road in Radcliffe — after a car flipped onto its side and hit a bus stop.

The latest crash happened in Top o’the Cross at 7.10am on Tuesday.

The driver had managed to free himself and was not injured, and fortunately there was no-one at the bus stop at the time.

Firefighters had to use a special winch to unhook the car from the bus stop in Bury Street.

The crash at the bend, which is just yards away from Radcliffe Hall Primary School, is the second in as many months.

Parents, nearby residents and local councillors fear action will only be taken after it is too late, when someone has been killed.

They claim the combination of people driving too fast and the sharp bend has made the area an accident blackspot, with four incidents believed to have happened in the past 12 months.

They also claim metal barriers at the side of the road have been replaced numerous times in recent months.

Susan Mahon, of nearby Bealey Row, said it is a constant worry as her two children, Corey, aged eight, and six-year-old Lilly, attend the school and often play on the grassed area near the bus stop.

She said: “There is a crash here nearly every week and it is a main route for children to take in the morning, as well as children going to Radcliffe Hall.

"Others also get on the bus to go to St Monica’s High.

“As well as the problem of speeding, it is a blind bend so it is quite a difficult turn for drivers.”

Another nearby resident, who has lived in the area for 13 years, but did not want to be named, said: “It is just a matter of time before a child is killed.

“There are no signs. The police and highways will not be bothered until someone dies.

“It is quite a sharp turn even for experienced drivers. Kids are always playing on the grass.

“Thankfully, it was just the bus stop that got ‘turfed up’ and not any children.”

Radcliffe councillor Matt Bailey believed the best solution would be speed humps, but he did not believe this would be likely due to the road’s frequent use by buses and lorries.

He said: “How many times do barriers need to be replaced and bus stops get taken out before something is done about it?

"I don’t want to be talking to the police, the press or anyone after there has been a fatality.

“Thankfully, there has been no-one at the bus stop on the last two occasions, but the odds are not good on that continuing.”