Action pledge over Stourbridge blackspot disruption
Angry residents who have had to put up with barriers outside their homes for more than a year after cracks appeared in an old wall have been told action is being taken to fix the problem – at last.
Traffic on South Road, at its junction with Charles Road, Stourbridge, has been disrupted since the 20-yard stretch was fenced off in November 2011 and, during wind, some of the plastic barriers have blown into the path of cars. It was hoped work would start in February or March.
Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, Dudley Council cabinet member for housing, apologised for the delay.
He said: "Work to start rebuilding it has taken longer than anticipated because it has required specialist design due to the wall being so close to the road, the council having to locate existing utility services and the need to relocate a gas pipe."
The spot is busy with parents taking their children to the nearby Gig Mill Primary School and with walkers using the Swan Pool Park.
National Grid has now announced it will start work on January 28 to divert the pipe, which will take about three days, so that the wall can then be rebuilt by contractors working for the council.
Jayne Whiley, aged 59, who has collected a 100-name petition calling for action with her neighbour, Andy Small, said: "The fencing has created a blackspot because motorists turning out of Charles Road can't see and it's so dangerous for children going to school in a morning."
Another resident, Fazana Shaheen, aged 37, who has a 10-year-old daughter, Sasha, said: "It looks like we are living in a ghetto and it's dangerous for children going to school – it's a nightmare."
National Grid spokesman Jane Taylor said: "We were told about the problem only on August 22 and had hoped to divert the pipe in November – but unfortunately that had to be delayed because of our workload."
