I spent 60 minutes on ‘drag strip’ A-road and was shocked there …
It is a bustling A-road with a 30mph speed limit – but I could quickly see why residents are worried. The A4036 Thorns Road is a dual carriageway spanning almost one mile on a hillside near Merry Hill Shopping Centre in Dudley[1].
The road leading up to it from the shopping centre, also called Merry Hill, has a 40mph limit. But once you pass the traffic lights – at the crossroads with the A4100 Quarry Bank High Street – you enter the top of Thorns Road where it quickly changes to 30mph.
From there, the road goes downhill on a rather steep gradient heading to Lye. As residents pointed out to BlackCountryLive, there are no clear deterrents that slow drivers down at the top of Thorns Road.
Around halfway down, strips run across the tarmac warning motorists to ‘SLOW’. Apart from that, the only clear road safety measure is a speed camera towards the bottom, just before Thorns Primary School – but that’s not even switched on, according to the people of Thorns Road. And one man even claimed that some motorists have brazenly passed through the camera at “80mph”.
Road safety on Thorns Road was brought back into the spotlight following the death of a woman[4] in her 20s, after an alleged hit-and-run on Friday night, September 29. The woman was knocked down on a pedestrian crossing and, despite the best efforts of paramedics, tragically died at the scene.
Thorns Road, where residents have raised concerns about speeding
West Midlands Police[5] officers found an abandoned vehicle a short time later. The suspected driver – an 18-year-old man – later handed himself in to officers and he was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, failing to stop and driving while unfit through drink or drugs. The force has been asked for an update on the investigation.
When BlackCountryLive visited Thorns Road on Wednesday, October 4, the aftermath of the fatal collision was still present. Flowers had been tied to a railing. Further down the road, just before the ‘redundant’ speed camera, the remnants of police tape were tangled in some weeds on the pavement, where the road had seemingly been cordoned off on Friday night.
Residents told us speeding was mostly a problem during the evening when ‘street racers’ come out. However, it was clear to some motorists edging over the speed limit during my visit in broad daylight, especially on the downhill section.
Thorns Road, where residents have raised concerns about speeding
From the top to the bottom of Thorns Road, residents told us how they were concerned about the issue and recalled other incidents of crashes. A 53-year-old man, who wished to remain anonymous, said the speed cameras “don’t work. They go through there at 80mph. This is a regular thing,” he said. He added: “There’s nothing at the top of the road to slow down traffic, to even give them a chance.”
A mum called Saba Niaz, 34, said she fears for her children’s safety and has asked her husband about moving. Meanwhile, a grandmother, aged 68, said: “I’m scared to death when my grandchildren get out of the car.
“At night, you can’t hear the television. The car exhausts are popping and banging. I can’t understand why they won’t turn the cameras on.”
Terry Dudley, 45, said: “Even now, you can see cars are doing more than 30mph, people going to and from work.” He added: “At night, it’s always the racers, even motorbikes, revving up and down.”
Police officers do monitor speeding on the road, Terry said, but that only takes place during the day. “They are always there when they know people might going a bit fast, such as if they are late to work or school,” he said. “But when cars are racing down here at 60mph, they are nowhere to be seen.”
The strength of feeling about speeding on Thorns Road has even prompted the launch of a petition, calling for control measures including the “immediate” installation of working speed cameras. “Thorns Road is the lifeblood of our neighbourhood, home to three schools, a public park, a doctor’s clinic, and several leisure facilities,” the petition reads[6], which has attracted more than 700 signatures since it was launched after the fatal collision on Friday.
“Yet, the reckless speeding incidents on this road have led to countless accidents, injuries, and tragic deaths. Our community is under considerable stress, and we cannot let this continue.”
Quarry Bank and Dudley[7] Wood Cllr Chris Barnett – who has written to Dudley Council expressing concern – labelled the A-road a ‘race track’. He told BlackCountryLive: “It is a straight run, a dual carriageway, there is nothing to impede them from accelerating. And that’s what they do, they treat it like a drag-racing strip.”
Councillor Damian Corfield, cabinet member for highways and environmental services at Dudley Council, said that road safety is a “top priority” for Dudley Council. He added: “On Thorns Road, we had already installed additional signage and road markings outside Thorns Primary, Thorns Secondary and Old Park School and upgraded the pedestrian crossing by the entrance to Stevens Park.
“Regional mobile speed cameras are also regularly at the site to deter motorists from speeding. Our review will identify what additional measures may need to be introduced along this stretch of road.”
References
- ^ Dudley (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ Woman killed in hit-and-run on pedestrian crossing as teenager arrested (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ The cheapest iPhone 15 contract deal as pre orders open (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ following the death of a woman (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ West Midlands Police (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ petition reads (www.change.org)
- ^ Dudley (www.birminghammail.co.uk)