Wednesbury blackspot traffic will be slowed to 20mph
Speed bumps and a 20mph limit are set to be introduced on a traffic accident blackspot in Wednesbury as part of a new scheme which is costing £140,000.
Requests were made from staff and parents at Wodensborough Community Technology College to introduce traffic calming measures on Hydes Road. The road has seen eight accidents in the past five years and in 1999 two Sandwell College students were killed when the car they were in overturned and crashed into a tree.
The eight accidents dating back to June 2007 resulted in nine casualties – six of whom where children.
Sandwell Council took the concerns on board and have proposed that speed ramps, speed tables and a 20mph zone are introduced.
Other proposed changes will also include two mini roundabouts replaced with a junction.
If approved the measures will come in where Hydes Road meets with Woden Road South, next to the technology college which has around 1,000 pupils.
Councillor Ian Jones, cabinet member for children and young people, said chicanes in the street had not proved successful in slowing drivers down.
"Requests have come from the school regarding trying to alleviate some of the problems with children coming to and from school," he added.
"Concerns raised have chiefly been about speed of cars down the road and the number of accidents.
"There have been accidents there so it's something that needed reviewing and these are the recommendations."
The scheme will be funded through the West Midlands Local Transport Plan. Plans will go before the council's neighbourhood services cabinet advisory team next Friday.
In December 1999 Rajinder Singh Thandi, aged 17 and Manjinder Singh Khokhar, 18, died while travelling home from the Wednesbury campus of Sandwell College. Three other teenagers suffered serious injuries in the crash.
By Tim Spiers
