PENSNETT residents are calling for motorists to be banned from using their road as a rat run.

Drivers attempting to avoid the bottleneck junction at Tansey Green Road are making Birds Meadow residents' lives a misery as rush hour sees frustrated motorists speeding along the residential road, according to Councillor John Martin.

The Brockmoor and Pensnett councillor, who is pushing for an access only traffic order for the street, said: "People come up Stallings Lane, along Tansey Green Road and then hit traffic at the junction of High Street. It's such a narrow junction, it's appalling really, so a lot of people cut through Birds Meadow to join the High Street further on up.

"But by the time people get to Birds Meadow, they are pretty frustrated and speed through, there have been a number of near misses."

The volume of speeding vehicles makes the road "dangerous to navigate", Cllr Martin said, adding: "Birds Meadow is predominantly council housing where there are a lot of older people and young families. Mums with pushchairs find it difficult to cross the road and the speeding cars are a risk to young children who naturally want to play in the street.

"There is also a lot of anti-social behaviour during the night due to people doing handbrake turns at the corner of the cul-de-sac."

Cllr Martin said although some traffic calming measures were already planned for January next year, to coincide with the major highways improvements to High Street, residents are hoping an access only order could be included.

He continued: "Highways officers have drawn up plans to introduce traffic calming measures, which in the main, is acceptable to residents, in terms of speed bumps to try and reduce the speed of traffic but we'd also like an access only order to reduce the volume of traffic coming through."

Councillor Hilary Bills, cabinet member for highways, said it was "definitely" something she would be looking into.

She added: "I welcome it and want to thank people for letting us know how they feel about things. I will be discussing it with the relevant officers to see what we can do."