Tower Hill question

B1

Jon Hunt tabled a question to Cabinet member Cllr Tahir Ali on Tuesday about the problems at the Tower Hill junction and the reason why a 30mph zone has been rejected here. The answer speaks for itself. There is no recognition that the measures taken have not stopped the illegal u-turns:

CITY COUNCIL – 16 SEPTEMBER 2014

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR DEVELOPMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE ECONOMY FROM COUNCILLOR JON HUNT

Road safety”

Question:

Could the Cabinet Member indicate if he has definitely ruled out consideration of a 30mph zone on the Walsall Road in the vicinity of Tower Hill, as requested in a residents’ petition of autumn 2012, noting the evidence of strong pedestrian use of the road at this point and that alternative attempts to tweak road safety at this junction seem to have proved counterproductive?

Answer:

Speed limits on all principal roads are reviewed periodically to determine the appropriate speed limit for traffic. This assessment includes analysis of various factors including measured speeds and accident history.

The A34 route along Walsall Road was assessed in 2011 as part of a city-wide review of speed limits. This particular length of Walsall Road around was assessed again this year following safety concerns being raised. On both occasions when weighed against the criteria governing the setting of speed limits, the professional assessment has been that 40mph is the appropriate speed limit. As part of the latter assessment, the view of West Midlands Police as the enforcement authority was sought and they agreed with the assessment.

The other changes recently made at the junction were primarily to prevent a specific safety issue where drivers were illegally u-turning and near misses were being reported on a pedestrian crossing as a result. Those changes remove that conflict and whilst I understand it may have resulted slight increases in traffic queuing in peak times for one particular manoeuvre (turning right in to Beeches Road), I believe in terms of pedestrian safety this has been a positive change.

Last posting on this topic - July