A near-fatal accident involving an American tourist has led to calls to block off a path across a dual carriageway, writes Alison Bartlett.

Vincent Heying, 64, of Chicago, was hit by a truck in the fast lane of the A34 southbound carriageway on Friday. He was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, in a critical condition, but his condition is now said to be stable.

Residents in North Hinksey claim the path Mr Heying used to cross the busy road is a notorious accident blackspot. An underpass enables pedestrians walking from Westminster College to reach North Hinksey village, but locals claim it is poorly signposted and unclear to people who do not know the area.

Barbara Bolder, of Raleigh Park Road, said: "I first inquired whether the path across the bypass was a public right of way when a woman crossing the road with her son was hit by a motorbike last year. I was told by our councillor at the time that it was. "I have lived in the area for 30 years and remember a time when it was safe to cross the road, but now it is impossible as the bypass is the main artery from Southampton to the north. It is even difficult for vehicles turning out of North Hinksey Lane to join the fast flow of traffic."

Residents are calling for a gap in the central reservation to be blocked off to discourage pedestrians from attempting to cross the bypass. They also want speed cameras installed to deter drivers from exceeding the 50 mile per hour speed limit at the junction with North Hinksey Lane.

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman said: "There is no legally recorded right of way on our definitive map of public rights of way."