A RESIDENT who launched a petition for traffic calming measures after two of her cats were flattened by speeding cars on a busy Caversham road has gathered more than 50 signatures.

Vivienne Anderson, of Shepherds Lane, plans to deliver her petition to Reading Borough Council following Thursday’s Traffic Management Sub-committee meeting where the matter will be brought before its members.

But despite the 68-year-old starting the petition last June, Mrs Anderson said the discovery of her cat Louis, who was run over by a speeding car three months ago, prompted more community support.

She said: “There have not been any accidents yet but two of my beautiful cats have been killed on that road and several of my neighbours cats have also died there too.

“Louis was so badly squashed that all his insides were scattered across the road and all that was left of him was his head and feet.”

The part-time hairdresser added: “Jasper was killed three years ago and was just completely flattened. My daughter and I were absolutely heartbroken and I just didn’t want to look, but luckily a man offered to scrape him up off the floor because there’s no way I could have done that.”

Mrs Anderson said neither driver stopped after the two incidents which has left her convinced both were travelling over the 30 mile per hour speed limit.

She added: “I went out with a friend recently for a drive and a cat shot across my car all of a sudden and I was so worried that I hit it – but I didn’t because I was obeying the speed limit.

“This makes me think that if either of those two drivers had been travelling at 30 miles an hour my two gorgeous cats would still be alive now.”

The busy road, which also takes traffic from Oxford, has been monitored by Thames Valley Police on several occasions according to Mrs Anderson but no further action has been taken.

Mrs Anderson said: “The police have done various speeding checks on the road and in their report have said that they can’t see a problem but my argument to that is ‘well you don’t live here’.

“They came down for about half an hour to watch the road but they could have done it when traffic wasn’t that bad or right in the middle of the afternoon.”

She added: “But if you actually live here you can see how fast those cars and lorries are travelling and it’s really very dangerous. Touch wood nobody has been killed on Shepherds Lane yet but are the council going to wait until someone is?”

A Reading Borough Council spokesman said: “Mrs Anderson has submitted a petition calling for traffic calming measures which will be formally recorded at the next Traffic Management Sub-committee meeting, and a decision will be made in due course.

“The Council has a set process for dealing with petitions through its sub-committee and we are always happy to take representations from members of the public.”