Action plea on rat run estate (From Dudley News)
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Action plea on rat run estate
12:40pm Wednesday 5th September 2012 in News
Cllr Bryan Cotterill and campaigner Sara Maycock with residents of New Village, including Sam Aston and his mum Jo.
RESIDENTS in a Dudley Wood street are calling for urgent traffic calming measures after a young boy was knocked down by a car.
Homeowners in New Village say their road has become a rat run for diverting motorists who are using it as a cutthrough to avoid speed bumps recently installed in nearby Dudley Wood Road.
Now fed-up residents are calling for Dudley Council to take action after a spate of road traffic accidents over the last few months – with the most recent being an eight-year-old boy, who was airlifted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital following the collision, on Friday August 10.
Although the driver was not speeding and has not been blamed for the incident, little Sam Aston still spent 12 days in hospital and had to undergo skin grafts after breaking his leg in six places and has been left with a metal rod temporarily in his leg and facing further treatment in coming weeks.
Campaigners have now put together a 140-name petition of residents living in New Village and surrounding roads who are calling on Dudley Council to take action over the increasing volume of traffic and extend the speed bumps to their road.
Sara Maycock, who is spearheading the campaign, said: “I’ve already spoken to Dudley Council’s traffic officers about the amount of traffic and our concerns.
“We have a lot of children in this street, including my ten-year-old daughter, who regularly play out together and we want to make sure they are safe.
“Dudley Council has put up a sign which says 30mph, but it hasn’t made any difference, so we would like to have it 20mph as well as having speed bumps.”
Residents have passed on their petition to ward councillor, Bryan Cotterill, who is set to present it to highways officer Peter Vangeersdaele.
Cllr Cotterill, said: “I am very supportive of this campaign. There is no doubt about it that the traffic down there lends itself to speeding.
“Although I also support the speed bumps in Dudley Wood Road, the ramifications of it are turning New Village into a thoroughfare for diverting traffic which needs to be addressed before someone gets killed.”
