A local councillor has secured a proposal from council highways officials for road safety measures at an accident hotspot in Frankley.
In November 2017, a Skoda smashed into the living room wall of a home in Frogmill Road, at the junction of Holly Hill Road. Four teenagers ran from the scene. Luckily, no-one in the property was injured.
Residents in the new build homes there said, at the time, that the accident was the fourth time homes or vehicles had been damaged by vehicles exiting Holly Hill Road within a number of months.
In spite of a petition set up by the effected residents and pressure from then Cllr Andy Cartwright (Labour, Longbridge), Birmingham City Council Highways department rejected traffic calming measures stating: “a recent speed survey indicated the 85th percentile speed of vehicles was in the region of 32mph and these speeds are below the threshold [..] to consider speed enforcement at this location”.
However, following his election last year, Cllr Simon Morrall (Conservative, Frankley Great Park) continued to pressure Highways officials and now a proposal for traffic calming – in the form of speed cushions and a 20mph speed limit – has been drawn up.
Cllr Morrall (Conservative) said: “A few years ago, there was a serious collision with the adjacent homes of the Frogmill junction where a vehicle went into the living room of two properties. Residents have since demanded action to target speeding vehicles coming over Holly Hill Road down towards Frogmill and Charnwood Close, and I made this an election pledge to do so.
“The previous Labour councillor submitted a petition to Birmingham City Council, which was rejected by the highways department, so since being elected in May 2018 I have chosen to take a much more aggressive approach and upon meeting the highways officer drove him to the Frogmill junction, explaining that I wouldn’t let him out of my car until we found a solution.
“We agreed to carry over the highway’s budget to originally install chicanes, but since these slow down buses and emergency services we opted for road cushions instead. This would however require a 20mph zone to be installed around the adjacent roads (Charnwood and Wareham), this will save the tax payer some money by only having to install two illuminative signs to indicate a speed limit, rather than a possible 10 to indicate speed bumps.”
Gary Sambrook (Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Birmingham Northfield) said: “Speeding cars is an issue which many local people are concerned about, and something that we unfortunately see all too much of. This is a great example of how persistent campaigning can resolve local issues. It’s important that local residents feed in their views so that the new scheme helps reduce speed and makes our local roads safer.”
Residents in Holly Hill Road – as well as Charnwood Close and Wareham Road, where a 20mph speed limit will also be imposed – have already received a letter from Highways, asking them to provide feedback on the proposals before 1st November.
Anyone else wishing to comment on the proposals can contact Conservative Cllr Simon Morrall by emailing simon.morrall@birmingham.gov.uk
20 mph woukd still need enforcement. Road design is just a small factor, it’s driver behaviour that needs addressing, all over the uk
If you have no policemen walking around then nobody can see the speeding.
This i think is the biggest problem an overall lack of old fashioned bobbies on the beat