Speed camera hope for ‘racetrack’ road in Wolverhampton

Councillor Martin Waite said residents in Penn, Wolverhampton, had raised concerns over high-performance cars racing – with fears that a “nasty accident” could happen.

Residents say they have heard engines being revved during the evenings – and sometimes at weekends – on the dual carriageway section of Penn Road.

Now Councillor Waite has said a solution could be average speed cameras, but he stressed the roll-out would take some time across the city.

It comes after Wolverhampton Council said they had been made aware of car cruising along Penn Road and officials are said to be looking into the issue.

Councillor Waite said: “The long-term solution is average speed cameras and I’m trying to get them as part of the wider roll-out – people are genuinely worried that there will be a really nasty accident at some point if nothing is done.”

Frustrations

Vehicles are said to start their races near the Rose and Crown pub before heading to Wombourne and back.

Councillor Waite said the roll-out was still in an “assessment” phase for the city, but said a lack of incidents and accidents on Penn Road may “hold back” the introduction.

“As a ward councillor you want to get the facilities for your own ward, but on the other hand you have a responsibility for doing the right thing and have the right measures implemented across the city,” he said.

“It’s a really difficult issue and I understand people’s frustrations over it – they’re saying it’s like a racetrack and it’s about what you can do to stop it. I think the average speed cameras will do that – but that’s not going to happen instantly, it’s a long-term solution.”

The councillor, who is also chairman of active transport in the city, said another way of tackling the issue is to “steal” space off the vehicle carriageway for cyclists to use.

It would potentially see the road narrowed and less room for the cars to raise against each other, he added.