Beechdale road safety review expected after hit-and-run death
Road safety measures on a Walsall estate left devastated by a hit-and-run tragedy are set to be reviewed by council highways bosses.
Walsall Council’s cabinet are being asked to undertake a highways review of traffic management and speed reduction measures on the Beechdale estate.
They will also consider establishing a school crossing patrol on Bloxwich Lane to boost safety for children and parents going to Bloxwich Academy at the meeting next Wednesday.
This issue was highlighted at an economy and environment overview and scrutiny committee in October, where a 659-name petition was handed in by ward councillors Lee Jeavons and Tina Jukes.
They said speeding problems had blighted the area for years but the community was rocked in September this year when 52-year-old care worker Kulvinder Kaur was killed on Cavendish Road by a car travelling at high speed.
Councillor Jukes said: “Over the years speeding has been a major issue and recently caused a number of accidents. One was fatal.
“The lady was doing her job caring for the elderly and was brutally knocked down by someone driving at high speed. She never stood a chance.
“But this is not just a case of one street. The problem is the whole estate.”
Highways bosses said budgets for road safety were tight and the streets in the area were considered low priority based on speeding data gathered.
But the committee agreed to make recommendations for the ruling Conservative cabinet to consider when it meets next week.
Driver Lewis Jukes, of Providence Lane, Bloxwich, was jailed in October for killing Mrs Kaur as he sped around Beechdale at up to 75mph.
The 20-year-old admitted causing death by dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, having no insurance and failing to stop after a collision and was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
