Fears over speeding motorists turning Walsall estate into 'Fast and the Furious'
People fear someone could be killed or seriously injured by speeding motorists who have turned a Walsall estate into the “Fast and the Furious”.
Two crashes occurred on consecutive nights on the Beechdale estate prompting calls for more action to be taken to make the highways safer for residents.
The first incident happened in Lister Road on Thursday, June 9 while the second happened the next evening on Bloxwich Lane.
In both cases the vehicles veered onto front gardens and hit property causing some damage but people living in the area said it was a ‘miracle’ no one was hurt.
Walsall Council said speed humps have been installed in Lister Road and there have been no crashes resulting in injury in the last three years.
They added more roads on the Beechdale estate will see reduced 20 mph speed limits in the coming months.
Back in September 2019, 52-year-old carer Kulwinder Kaur was killed after being hit by a car which failed to stop on nearby Cavendish Road.
Driver Lewis Jukes, of Providence Lane, Bloxwich, was jailed for seven years and four months in October. The 20-year-old admitted causing death by dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, having no insurance and failing to stop after a collision.
Ward councillor Tina Jukes said she has raised the matter of speeding motorists with assistant police and crime commissioner Tom McNeill.
Resident Trevor Bailey said the Lister Road incident saw a Toyota Rav 4 lose control and end up crashing through his brother Paul’s front garden, through the fence and posts and into the house next door.
He said: “They hit the front of the house sidewards and loosened brick work. It’s a miracle they didn’t go through.
“There was a car parked on the front and it missed it by a quarter of an inch.
“The family next door to my brother always sit on the front on these light nights and they were lucky they weren’t sitting on the front otherwise they’d have all been dead.
“I don’t know what happened to those in the car because they ran off. The police were called.
“There seems to be a lot of young people getting cars and think they are a joy thing to race around in and they don’t see the consequences of what can happen.
“There are speed limits and humps on many roads. The legal driver obeys the law and instructions and slow down but those who don’t care ignore them.”
Ward councillors have previously called for increased safety measures on the estate, handing in petitions with more than 600 signatures.
Councillor Jukes said: “I don’t think the measures in place by the council are enough. Somebody is going to get hurt. We’ve seen people speeding and then handbrake turning.
“It is constant. Somebody overtook me and I was doing the speed limit and nearly went into a bus. It is ridiculous.
“People use the roads as race tracks. Residents are calling it ‘Fast and the Furious.’ The 20mph zone isn’t well publicised and no one knows about it.”
Walsall Council has a £700,000 budget for highways safety programmes in 2022/23.
A spokesperson said: “Our Road Safety Team reviews police records of road collisions involving injury to a person across the borough on an annual basis.
“This review enables the Council to target areas of the highway where the use of road safety funds will be most effective in reducing casualties.
“Our records indicate that there were no injury collisions in Lister Road in the last three year period. Traffic calming in the form of full width speed humps is already in place on Lister Road.
“Two serious and four ‘slight injury’ collisions have occurred on Bloxwich Lane in the same three year period.
“Both roads have been considered as part of a wider proposed 20mph speed limit across the whole Beechdale estate. This proposal is to compliment the traffic calming works implemented in Cavendish Road in 2020.
“As part of the 20mph proposals, speed surveys were undertaken across the Beechdale estate in December 2020.
“The outcome of this, in line with Department of transport advice, indicates that no physical traffic calming is necessary.”
“The majority of the Beechdale estate is suitable for the introduction of a signed only 20mph speed limit and we will be progressing the required traffic regulation orders and public consultation on these proposals this financial year.
“It is anticipated that as part of these 20mph proposals some additional minor works will be required in Bloxwich Lane and Stephenson Avenue to encourage slower speeds.”
