After decades of watching people fly down the strip as though it was a runway, they are now speaking out and have pushed for garbage bin signage urging motorists to “Slow down in Montefiores St”.

Roy King (pictured) has been particularly vocal in his call for drivers to slow down and initially approached the Wellington Council traffic committee with the suggestion of a footpath to increase pedestrian safety along the street.

It is a common route for students walking to Wellington Christian School and is also used by pedestrians doing exercise or going to work.

All of these people have to either walk along the road or take the unfriendly nature strip which is peppered with bindis and burrs and often covered with morning dew and frost.

“Council don’t realise how dangerous it is when children or an old bloke like me walk down the street - we could get hit by a car,” Mr King said.

“I walk up to Quain’s store three times a week to buy the paper and I’m concerned that there is no footpath.”

As a stopgap measure, Mr King was provided with ‘slow down in my street’ wheelie bin stickers to distribute to neighbouring residents.

While a footpath would come as welcome relief for pedestrians, it won’t fix the problem of speeding cars.

Wellington Council road safety officer Kristine Long said help was on the way for residents in the area.

“When in a long, wide street, psychologically people tend to go faster,” Ms Long said.

“One thing we can do is place a speed trailer in the street which has a mini-radar that flashes up the speed drivers are travelling at. It has proved to be a good tool for on-the-spot education with an instant behavioural change.”

Ms Long also offered to spend time with a portable radar gun in the street to collect data on car speeds to be certain that it is a problem with the traffic and not perception.

“There is often a perception that people are speeding when really the car might be just a bit loud.

“We have to be certain we’re not just making an assumption.”

Funds have also been allocated in the 2008/09 Wellinton Council budget to construct a footpath along Montefiores St.