Neighbours 'scared to use footpaths' on 'racetrack' Walsall road
More than 500 Walsall residents have signed a petition calling for action to stop speeding on a road where three crashes happened in one week.
Distraught residents in and around Barns Lane in Rushall presented a petition signed by more than 500 people who have endured decades of misery from motorists using the road as a "racetrack".
Natalie Shaw told members of the economy and environment scrutiny committee that residents were moving away from the area and urgent action needed to be taken.
But authority leader Mike Bird said the answer to the problems across the borough might be the installation of a system used in Portugal and Spain where lights flash amber before turning red as a speeding motorist approaches.
He said he would write to ministers at the Department for Transport to urge them to allow the scheme to be introduced here.
Mrs Shaw, 41, said she had lived in the area since she was four and the situation was getting worse. She said ward councillors Richard Worrall and Vera Waters as well as chief executive Helen Paterson had all been involved on the issue of traffic calming measures but without success to date.
She told the committee:
Residents had witnessed three crashes in the same spot during the same week in October last year
A girl suffered fractures to her hand when a car mounted the kerb and clipped her
Another estimated repair costs of vehicles crashing into walls, fencing and property exceeded more than £144,000 over a 20-year period
She and her son suffered a near-miss while walking on the footpath when a lorry clipped the kerb while travelling at excessive speed, forcing them into a neighbour’s garden
A report to committee recommended the introduction of “dragon’s teeth” markings and bigger 20mph speed limit signs as an immediate measure.
But Mrs Shaw said more action was needed and said recorded data which showed six ‘light collisions’ in two years and 481 vehicle movements in the whole November last year didn’t give the full picture.
She said: “Since I was a youngster, I’ve been aware of the dangers of the road. I’m now 41 and have my own family and worry about all of our safety.
“We’ve simply had enough of the speeding from the cars, vans, lorries, motorbikes and HGVs on the road.
“I have neighbours who tell me they are even fearful of using the footpaths due to the cars mounting them. It just can’t continue.
“The road has become nothing more than a racetrack. Morning, noon and night, they are going over 50mph, polluting the atmosphere, scaring residents and damaging properties.
“Since the summer of last year, I can account for seven road accidents because of speeding and they’ve involved police, ambulances and fire. smashing into driveways, walls, vehicles, phone lines.
“Residents no longer feel safe and want to move out of the area. Some have already done so.
“While we welcome the council’s proposal to do something, dragon’s teeth and larger 20mph signs are not going to deter the high speeding along this road.
“It needs to become a 20mph safe zone and needs to be enforced. There is no surveillance.”
Bosses said implementing all schemes requested in Walsall would cost in excess of £20 million, money they did not have.
Councillor Ian Shires added enforcement was key and the authority needed to meet with police to discuss the issue.
But Councillor Bird said: “Some years ago, I was on holiday in Portugal and I was driving through this village and it had a flashing amber light all day, every day. If you approached it with excess speed, it turned red.
“Now, it is fair to say most motorists when they see a red light they stop. And then when you go down that road again, you slow down. This is such a simple solution.
“It is better than an average speed camera as you don’t get a fine and get points on your licence. But you learn very quickly that light will stop you from continuing your journey.
“I will write to the minister of transport and ask him to change the legislation to allow such a system. It works.
“Ian Shires has seen it in Spain, I’ve seen it in Portugal. It’s such a simple answer to the problems we see in the borough and it won’t cost £20 million.”
