A busy road in the Black Country labelled one of the most dangerous in the region will get safety improvements following a cash injection from the Government. More than £2 million will be ploughed into improving safety along the A4030 Bearwood Road in Smethwick, along with the A439 in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
They have been identified by ministers as being badly in need of changes. Roads have been targeted as part of a national programme based on the number of crashes which have resulted in serious injuries and deaths.
The Government claims it will prevent more than 750 deaths and serious injuries on the country's roads. Ministers said improvements could include re-designing junctions and improving signage and road markings.
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The busy route runs from Tollhouse Way near Victoria Park down to the Hagley Road West on the edge of Birmingham. It's lined with shops and is used by thousands of drivers every day, while the pavements are often packed with pedestrians.
In 2019, much-loved PCSO Holly Burke, 28, was killed after an unlicensed driver crashed into her Ford Fiesta while she was off duty at the junction of Bearwood Road and Hagley Road. Darren Ogom - who was high on cocaine - had reached speeds of up to 105mph as he led other officers on a 12-mile chase through Birmingham.
There have been a number of other tragedies in the area over recent years. Roads bosses said the changes "will reduce the risk of collisions, in turn reducing congestion, journey times and emissions".
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “Britain’s roads are some of the safest in the world, but we are always looking at ways to help keep motorists and all road users safer. That’s why we’re investing more than £2 million to improve roads across the West Midlands and this is the first crucial step to ensuring local councils have the support they need to keep everyone safe, while also reducing congestion and emissions.”
Dr Suzy Charman, executive director of the Road Safety Foundation said: “The commitment and funding announced is transformational for road safety teams in local authorities across the country. It will allow them to proactively reduce risk and make these roads safer and more inviting for all road users.
"Systematic changes have already had a big impact on road death and serious injury, for example seatbelts and airbags protect lives when crashes happen. In the same way we can design roads so that when crashes happen people can walk away, by clearing or protecting roadsides, putting in cross hatching to add space between vehicles, providing safer junctions like roundabouts or adding signalisation and/or turning pockets, and including facilities for walking and cycling.”
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