Traffic-calming plea 'before someone is killed on hazardous Wolverhampton road'
Worried residents living near a “hazardous” Wolverhampton through-road are calling for urgent measures to combat speeding following a string of collisions and near misses.
People along Gorsebrook Road and the surrounding area in Dunstall Park say they fear it won’t be long before someone is seriously injured or killed by a speeding driver, and have set up an action group to campaign for swift action.
Last month a pedestrian was left with severe head injuries after being struck by a car near the road’s zebra crossing.
Members of the St Peter’s ward community, where the road is located, say motorists frequently speed along the route which links Stafford Road with Dunstall Road.
Carl Downing, who lives nearby, said: “Travelling from the Stafford Road side, the bend where you come under the viaduct was altered several years ago to allow access to the travellers’ transit site. And as a result, it got pushed further out.
“So when cars come out of that bend at a rate of knots they are already on the wrong side of the road and there’s no white lines to guide them. And because the road slopes up in relation to where the crossing is located further along – and there are vehicles parked on either side – a car driver wouldn’t be able to see if anyone was on it.
"If someone just stepped out from the kerb a motorist would have no chance of seeing them.
“The industrial estate is at the bottom, so wagons and lorries have obviously got to come down here, but the overall visibility for motorists is poor. I’m not saying the crossing is unsafe, it’s the speeding and the run-up to it that is so hazardous,” he added.
Fellow resident Steve Carty said: “Immediately before you get to the crossing there is a drain in the middle of the road that has sunk as well. I think it’s been like that for about two years, so what a lot of drivers are doing is trying to avoid going into the drain, and as a result, they don’t have their full concentration on the zebra crossing.
“Looking towards the crossing, you can’t really see the black and white poles either because they merge in with the houses in the background which are all white. What it needs is some lights on top of the poles. People are worried that it could take someone to be killed before something gets done.”
Akhmed Hussain, who also lives in the ward, added: “The real problems along here are speeding and reckless driving. The accidents that have happened over the years have been mainly on the bends. When someone is going so fast they can’t negotiate these bends, a number of parked cars have been hit.”
St Peter’s ward councillors Obaida Ahmed and Qaiser Azeem have given their support to residents, calling for effective traffic-calming measures and urgent road repairs and resurfacing.
A 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 by the Transportation Capital Works Programme and we have to prioritise spending where data tells us the need for traffic measures is greatest.
“In terms of traffic speed, while it is the police’s responsibility to enforce speed limits and driving standards, the council commissions speed surveys, and we will be conducting a new survey of Gorsebrook Road soon before liaising with the police on the findings.
“We will continue to monitor the situation to consider if interventions are needed, but there are currently no specific plans for major road design changes on Gorsebrook Road – and we urge drivers to abide by the rules of the road.”
