Call for speed bumps on busy road

The petition committee meeting, held at Sandwell council on Wednesday, heard 19 people across Friar Park, Wednesbury, had signed the petition calling for traffic calming measures.

In the petition, residents of Price Road junction asked for speed bumps to be installed, but Sandwell council argued in a previous meeting there were no recorded injury collisions over the last five years.

But one resident, who spoke at the meeting, claimed a serious collision had occurred, and argued it was “an accident waiting to happen”.

He said: “It was said that be no collision injury in the last five years. Given that there has been a lot of parked cars there, and on December 9 there was a collision injury.

“Paramedics reported to the scene on the actual corner. It worries m because the bridge going across William Green Road to Mesty Croft School is where mothers and children cross to get to and from the school.

“Given the person wasn’t hospitalised but he was injured, it’s just been an accident waiting to happen.”

Robin Weare, service manager for highways at Sandwell council said: “We have investigated this location and looked at injury accidents.

“Clearly there are lots of locations where there are injuries happening on the road. We have something like 800 in the borough every year. That’s been halved since the year 2000.

“I understand that there’s been one and that’s obviously a concern within William Green Road.

“But William Green Road would not be considered for a road safety scheme at this time because there are other roads in Sandwell with higher numbers of treatable injury collisions which must be prioritised first. That’s a legal duty on the council.”

“What we have done is looked at the cost of putting a speed bump because that was a request at a previous meeting. And it will cost about £5,000.

“Officers reported that council policy requires funding for road safety improvements to be targeted in areas where treatable injury collisions are occurring in accordance with  We can’t use the funding for road safety improvements from [Sandwell’s Strategic Road Safety Plan].

“But it’s a suggestion to members to the ward members that they may wish to look at other budgets that could be available to fund that £5,000 pounds

“I feel this is a priority for their particular ward.”

Councillor Danny Millard said: “If [the speed bump] is on the straight of the road, the drivers will just slow down, go over the speed bump, then put their foot down.

“It’s the bend that is the problem. So that might be something that needs identifying.”