Get rid of the traffic jams before new repairs start, say residents

They want action to be taken to ease traffic congestion along the town's ring road and the A34 Birmingham Road.

Residents in Park Hall and Fullbrook have told councillors that they are fed up of roadworks which result in a stream of vehicles trundling pass their homes well into the night.

Now Paddock ward representatives Councillor Rose Martin and Gurmeet Sohal are writing to Highways Agency bosses about the issue. They say residents want to see the end of long-term motorway projects on their doorsteps.

Councillor Martin, a Conservative, said: "Residents are fed up with the continued night and day congestion every time the M6 has repairs. The continuous pollution and noise outside their properties day and night for months.

"It's about time something was done to reduce the traffic and speed up road works.

"The M6 Toll was designed to reduce traffic on M6 but that does not seem to be happening. We call on the government to do something about this."

She said a number of residents had complained about the effects of the closure of the entry slip road at junction nine for repairson the link road between the southbound M6 at junction eight near Great Barr and the M5 link with West Bromwich. These include drainage works which started in January, as well as work to the Ray Hall Viaductwhich is due to be completed by the end of May.

Councillor Sohal said he would like to see the cost of using the toll road, designed to link the M6 at Shareshill near Cannock to Coleshill, reduced for the duration of the roadworks to encourage more drivers to avoid jams.

Residents are also worried about the effect of works to improve the Pleck Road junction as part of a £26 million project near junction nine.

Motorist Martacus Redd posted on expressandstar.com: "Please don't start this work until Junction 9 fully open again. Walsall roads don't do heavy traffic and any increase causes horrendous congestion elsewhere."