Road safety mural painted on Wolverhampton salon damaged in three separate car crashes
A Wolverhampton hair salon owner has worked with a local artist to install a road safety campaign on the front of her shop, after three cars smashed into the salon.
Rachel Oliver has run Hair by Rachel Michelle on Coalway Road since 2016, and in the last ten months three cars have ploughed through the shop in almost identical crashes.
The 33-year-old was "gutted" after the third crash on February 4 and decided to display an art mural on the front of the salon to promote road safety awareness.
Her five-year-old son, Blake Oliver, designed the artwork of a blue dinosaur, with the slogan: "Your speed is super scary!"
Blake's design was then turned into a mural by Castlecroft artist Steve “graffoflarge” Edwards.
Rachel said: "After recent events, we are now promoting a road safety campaign. We need change in the area, it’s been devastating to our business and to our landlord!
"Eventually bricks and mortar will be put right, but I’m not waiting for someone to die at the hands of someone’s dangerous driving for change to be made.
"Blake (my 5-year-old son) has designed the art work and Steve 'graffoflarge' Edwards has transformed the wreckage into our road safety campaign!"
Rachel has written to Wolverhampton Council's safety team and is hoping for road safety measures to be implemented in the area.
She says that the circumstances leading to the crashes were "identical", with a "speeding" car hitting the island on Coalway Road late at night, causing it to veer into the shop.
Rachel has also started a campaign for the implementation of traffic-calming measures on Coalway Road and the surrounding area.
The salon owner said: "Since October 2016 we have listened to and seen cars screeching, revving, racing, failing to stop at the crossings.
"We have also seen numerous other incidents over the last twelve moths along this road. Including a car overtaking another car mounting the kerb which resulted in the overtaking car smashing into a parked car, demolishing three neighbouring gardens, and narrowly missing a pedestrian when they mounted the kerb.
"Another incident where by the speeding car crashed into a parked car forcing it into a neighbouring garden and causing damage to the property.
"The incidents are getting more dangerous and I have been to the council and have been told, criteria for the budget is met by fatality and injury. My fear is there is going to be a fatality.
"The area is a highly trafficked with both vehicular and pedestrian use! I am not willing to trade human life before measures are put in place!
"It could be any one of our friends, family, neighbours or colleagues that could fall the unfortunate victims of a future incident! Please support this change!"
A City of Wolverhampton Council spokesperson said: “We constantly monitor where road safety measures may need to be implemented across the transport network in Wolverhampton.
“These works are financed from the Transportation Capital Works Programme and we have to prioritise spend where data tells us the need for traffic measures is greatest.
“While there are no specific plans for major road design changes on Coalway Road, we will be replacing the bollards and guardrail in front of the salon, relocating speed indicator signs on the approaches to the roundabout to warn drivers to slow down if exceeding the speed limit, reviewing signage, lining and lighting on the approaches to enhance awareness of the roundabout, and installing new chevron boards on the roundabout.
“We will continue to monitor the situation to consider if further interventions are needed in the future.”
To sign Rachel's petition, change.org/p/traffic-calming-for-coalway-road-make-the-change-before-a-fatality
