Joy as speed cameras finally installed
Councillors believe new cameras installed on a major Walsall route are making a difference in stopping cars tearing down the road at high speed.
Average speed cameras were switched on earlier this month on the A34 Birmingham Road and nearby Broadway North as part of a crackdown on incidents and to reduce accidents.
Waheed Rasab said he, along with fellow Paddock ward councillors Gurmeet Singh Sohal, Rose Martin and Conservative Party member Nick Gandham, had been calling for the measures for years.
He said they had campaigned for years for average speed cameras, including arranging a public petition which collected hundreds of signatures.
In 2018, a section of Birmingham Road, near the Bell pub, was reduced to one lane in an effort to tackle speeding problems in the area.
But Councillor Rasab said the lane reduction only resulted in other issues such as congestion and argued speed cameras were a better solution.
Those pleas intensified following a crash in April 2019, which saw granddad Barry “Baz” Middlebrook killed on the A34.
Mr Middlebrook, who was aged in his 60s, died at the scene when the motorbike he was riding crashed with a lorry after hitting a central reservation.
The cameras on Birmingham Road and Broadway North were among a number installed across the Black Country this month.
Figures for the area revealed that in 2019 that there were 1,955 road traffic collisions injuring 2,660 people. Around 363 people also suffered serious injury and 24 people were killed.
Councillor Rasab said: “We have campaigned over the years to get these much needed cameras installed and finally they went live earlier this month.
“These cameras were installed on the grounds of improving safety, reducing fatalities and injuries as well as curbing speeding drivers.
“And we have noticed they are already making a difference in terms of tackling speeding so they are very much welcomed by the residents, drivers and pedestrians who use the roads.
“We urge all drivers to stick to the average speed limit of 30mph to ensure the safety of themselves and other people. Of course, it will also ensure they are not hit with any fines or getting points on their licences.”
