Call to improve 'confusing' Walsall junction

Residents and motorists using Lichfield Road, in Rushall, are said to have suffered from the confusing nature of the road's layout at its junctions with with Pelsall Lane, Daw End Lane, Station Road and Springfields.

In December, a car ended up on its roof following an incident and residents and councillors say there have been near-misses in terms of crashes and serious accidents for years.

They also said speeding is an issue while congestion can build up at rush hour and beyond while drivers are often caught out not knowing which lane to join when negotiating the maze of junctions.

But the issues could soon be at an end as Walsall Council has started conducting traffic surveys which will help decide what work needs to be carried out in the future.

Bernard Cartwright, vice chairman of the local neighbourhood watch, said: “This road at the moment is terrible with all the junctions together.

“It’s awful and an accident waiting to happen. Many people say they have seen near-misses on so many occasions and this has been going on for years.

“The whole junction needs redesigning and major redevelopment.

“We see a lot of traffic here and it causes a lot of congestion. This has been going on for as long as I can remember so I’m happy that finally something seems to be happening with it.”

Ward Councillor Lorna Rattigan said: “Council officers are here carrying out traffic surveys and we welcome anything that will improve the junctions and help.

“I live near here and the traffic doesn’t really let up throughout the day and even at night you can hear them speeding down the road.

“We had a car overturn near the traffic lights on Lichfield Road and there have been other incidents.”

Her colleague Vera Walters added: “I’ve been campaigning on this for two years since I was elected. We get complaints all the time about this area.

“We come out, walk around with the residents to assess the issues. Some of these include the lollipop lady on Pelsall Lane who has issues with cars trying to jump queues of traffic by going over central reservations.

“The layout of the junctions are confusing and not as they should be. People use roads as rat runs such as King George Crescent off Daw End Lane. That causes a lot of misery for residents living there.

“There have been many near-misses too. One time, a car missed an ambulance going on blue lights by about four centimetres.

“Money is being allocated for it so when the surveys are done, they will recommend what improvements need to be made. Obviously, we are pleased to see things moving on it finally.”

Walsall Council’s deputy leader Adrian Andrew confirmed the authority was looking into ways of improve journey times by increasing the junction’s capacity, cut congestion and enhance air quality.