More than 100 people, including families, green campaigners, councillors and South West Beds MP Andrew Selous, met at the Wing Hill roundabout, just outside Linslade, to vent their fury at a decision not to provide safe passage for cyclists and pedestrians at the busy junction.

They are angry that Bucks County Council has reneged on a verbal promise to build a bridge. The authority says the road project has suffered a massive £5million overspend and they don't have the cash for the project.

The announcement incensed Wing father-of-two Sean Kelly who is now leading a campaign for road improvements.

Mr Kelly said: “The huge turnout at the protest gives us a fantastic mandate to take our demands for a bridge to the highest levels at Bucks County Council.

“I'm asking all Wing residents to write, expressing their strong support for this campaign, to our county councillor, Quintin Ings-Chambers.

“I want to thank all residents, local MPs and councillors for their tremendous support and I promise that this campaign will only cease when we have achieved a safe pedestrian and cycling route between Wing and Leighton Buzzard.

“The road will be a death trap and something needs to be done. Whether one person or a hundred people use a bridge, lives would be saved.

“We are always hearing about how obese we are getting. It's important to make children and adults fitter. Our only leisure centre is Tiddenfoot, our nearest railway station is in Linslade. We should be encouraging people in Wing to walk or cycle to the sites, not use their cars.

“Bucks County Council representatives gave a verbal promise at a public meeting to provide a bridge over the new bypass. Now they are back-tracking by saying a change in government funding has left them with a shortfall.

“Our next step is to call for a round table meeting with both Beds and Bucks County Councils to come up with a solution.”

Victoria Harvey, of South Beds Friends of the Earth, called on the government and county councils to work together to come up with funding.

She said: “The government is demanding that people walk and cycle more, yet are giving very little money to local councils for walking and cycling.

“If more people cycled into Leighton, to the station, the town centre, and the leisure centre, rather than drive then there is a chance that the Wing Road won't grind completely to a halt.”

Mr Selous, a keen cyclist, said: “I'm very keen to get a bridge or at the very least, cycle lanes. Politicians from all political parties bang on about climate change and improving our green credentials. There's a lot of rhetoric but not much reality.

“Traffic projects are being pushed through without thought for pedestrians and cyclists.