£3 million for road safety and jam-busting schemes

Released: 25 October 2007

More than £3 million will be invested into a raft of new schemes to improve road safety and traffic flow around Wolverhampton, the city council announced today, Thursday, 25 October 2007.

Fifteen accident black-spots and areas prone to congestion will benefit from works which will take place throughout the coming months and into 2008.

Casualty figures on the city’s roads are at an all-time low, but the council is determined to do more to further reduce the numbers of people injured in accidents.

Councillor Peter Bilson, cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise, said: “The council takes the issue of road safety very seriously and it is pleasing to see that casualty figures are at their lowest since records began. However, we are never complacent and today we can announce more schemes across the city that will reduce accidents and improve traffic flow.”

Highlights of today’s announcement, which will be added to with even more schemes over the coming months, include improvements at a cost of £300,000 for Victoria Street in the city centre.

The stretch of road between Queen Square and St John’s Arcade will get stone-paved footways, improved lighting and upgraded street furniture. There have been nine accidents in Victoria Street in the last five years, so a raised table will be installed to control vehicle speed.

Another popular move is sure to be improvements to the busy Darlington Street/Waterloo Road/School Street junction in the city centre to make it safer for pedestrians. Seven accidents have been recorded here in the last five years and there are currently no pedestrian facilities at the lights.

The plans are to be consulted on, but it is proposed to introduce a full pedestrian phase at the traffic lights and install a raised table to slow down traffic.

Safety concerns will also be addressed around West Park where 32 accidents on Park Road East and West have been recorded in the last five years. It is proposed, subject to consultation, that priorities will be changed at key junctions around the park and raised tables will be installed to control vehicle speed. This scheme will cost £425,000.

£310,000 will be spent improving safety on Newhampton Road East and West where 80 accidents have been recorded in the last five years. Various measures are proposed, subject to consultation, including improvements to existing crossings, the installation of a new crossing near to Riches Street and improved visibility for drivers on Devon Road and Park Avenue.

In brief, other schemes include:

Deans Road, Deansfield where 31 accidents were recorded in the last five years - £165,000 for improved lining and signing. Speed control measures will be installed on areas of the road most prone to accidents
Compton district centre will benefit from £400,000 to upgrade footways and lighting, install a security camera, make it easier to board buses and improve access
£80,000 will be spent improving crossing safety at Showell Circus, Bushbury. Parking areas either side of Third Avenue will be resurfaced
Thornley Street, in the city centre, will have £150,000 worth of improvements to complement the restored buildings in nearby Broad Street/Stafford Street
Measures include footways re-paved in natural stone, re-surfacing the carriageway and new street furniture and lighting
Measures to reduce speeding traffic along Hollington Road, East Park, outside the infant and junior schools will be installed. This includes road narrowing and the introduction of one-way traffic around The Square
Speeding traffic is a problem in Colman Avenue outside Perry Hall School. There is also strong evidence of inappropriate parking outside the school. Both issues will be addressed with the installation of traffic calming measures and the issuing of traffic regulation orders
£10,000 will be spent increasing cycle parking in the city centre and district centres
Waterloo Road/Newhampton Road East junction will be improved to reduce congestion and improve safety. This includes a dedicated left turn filter lane from Waterloo Road to Newhampton Road
The right turn from Waterloo Road into Newhampton Road blocks city centre-bound traffic a peak times causing congestion. This scheme also plans to create a dedicated right turn lane.
The creation of a left turn lane off Hunter Street into Horden Road in Whitmore Reans will reduce congestion at the Hunter Street/Craddock Street junction
Willenhall Road/Moseley Road – a number of improvements have already been carried out at this strategically important junction in recent years. However, to reduce congestion further it is proposed to extend the right hand lane for traffic wanting to turn into Moseley Road to avoid the main road being blocked
A bus showcase scheme will be installed along the Bushbury Spur route which runs from the A449 into Bushbury Lane and along Fordhouses Road back to Bushbury Lane. New shelters will be provided at 31 stops on this route which is used by the 532 and 533 routes. Easy access kerbing will also be installed and clearer bus stop road markings will be printed

Issued by the press office.