Furious councillors say action needed at 'danger' Walsall road junction titled ‘no man’s land’
Furious Rushall councillors say their community has "had enough" of a "horrendous" junction where accidents and near-misses are a regular occurrence.
The pinch point where Daw End Lane, Pelsall Lane and Station Road meet Lichfield Road is well-known for congestion, confusing lanes and drivers jumping red lights.
Rushall-Shelfield councillors Vera Waters, Lorna Rattigan and Jade Chapman say action needs to be taken to tackle the "unbelievable" amount of accidents at the junction.
In a joint statement they said: “The residents and councillors of Rushall-Shelfield have had enough. The number of accidents and near-misses on the Rushall junction is unbelievable.
“Something needs to be done now. The traffic which builds up during rush hour on a daily basis is chronic and motorists attempt to jump the lights due to the time they must wait in the queues. The junction structure is confusing, and motorists find the lanes confusing.”
Heavy traffic from Daw End Lane, Station Road, Pelsall Lane, Winterley Lane, and Barns Lane wreak havoc on the already busy Lichfield Road. There’s also additional traffic from the busy McDonald’s restaurant on Daw End Lane.
Councillor Vera Waters called the box junction in the area ‘no man’s land’. She said: “Motorists will cross over onto this box junction to try to jump the lights, I have seen many near misses.”
Last month Rushall resident Michelle Brookes was involved in a car crash which left her with a broken hand and bruising. Her car was written off in the crash - and in the days before it was due to be picked up by the insurers, it was stolen.
Michelle also called for action to address the dangerous junction. Councillor Kerry Murphy, portfolio holder for street pride at Walsall Council, said: “The council wants local roads to be as safe as they can possibly be at all times.
“Road safety affects everyone in our borough, those behind the wheel and those who aren’t, and we’re committed to improving the safety of our roads so Walsall is a safe place for residents and visitors.
“The council’s highways team are investigating ways to improve the safety of Rushall junction, all of which would be subject to relevant processes to ensure improvements are viable, and that there is sufficient delivery funding available in the medium-to-long-term future.
“We also continue to work in partnership with West Midlands Police who are the authority empowered to tackle speeding and red light offences.”
West Midlands Police, which is responsible for red-light enforcement, declined to comment.
