Every word from police and council as locals fear ‘accident waiting to happen’ in Castle Vale

Police have issued a statement regarding “huge concerns” in one of Birmingham’s 20mph zones, with locals fearing the street is an “accident waiting to happen”. Despite pedestrian crossings, speed bumps and a reduced speed limit, residents and a councilor have expressed concern that the measures are failing to deter speeding drivers.

They called for urgent action to be taken in Farnborough Road in Castle Vale – where a ten-year-old boy was killed by a speeding driver – before anyone else is hurt. Responding to the concerns, West Midlands Police said they take “road safety incredibly seriously”.

A number of motorists were stopped and fined as part of a speeding crackdown in the area last month, with work underway to “crack down on dangerous drivers”, the force said. Officers are also trained to use speed monitoring equipment and conduct operations on the Castle Vale estate.

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A full statement from West Midlands Police said: “The local neighborhood team has access to speed monitoring equipment and they have officers trained in the use of the equipment. They run speed operations right on the Castle Vale property. They deployed it last month with some enforcement measures. which runs alongside education for a number of drivers.

“Operation Hercules is our ongoing campaign targeting people involved in street racing or car cruising. This operation is carried out regularly to try and discourage street racing which takes place on the main roads outside the Castle Vale estate, mainly Kingsbury Road and Chester Road. .

“We have a partnership management process in place for anti-social driving and speeding in the area which is linked to Op Hercules and officers will update this with any of their actions and patrols that have been carried out.

“Traffic calming measures such as speed bumps and chicanes are in place on major roads including Farnborough Road. The team will continue to raise residents’ concerns with our partners and local councilors and look at ways we can work together. implementing measures including additional signage and electronic boards displaying live speeds.

“We take road safety incredibly seriously and our traffic colleagues carry out operations and work across our force area to crack down on dangerous drivers and protect the community. We work with communities and partners including local councils, charities and the West Midlands Combined Authority to deliver safer roads for everyone.

“Our proactive approach involves focused operations in key areas, tackling the fatal four and preventing harm to the most vulnerable road users. The four fatal ones include speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, using a mobile phone while driving, without wearing a seat belt”.

Police said it was “essential” that all road users drove in a “responsible manner”. They said: “It is also essential that due care is taken at all times and that drivers and riders act in a responsible manner according to the risks they may pose to others on the roads.” The force urged anyone who sees dangerous driving to “report directly to us” at Op Snap.

Birmingham City Council said road safety was an “absolute priority” and stressed that the best way to improve it would be to reduce the number of cars on the road and through “behaviour change”. A spokeswoman for the authority said: “Our transport plan sets out how we want Birmingham to be a place to live and be, not drive and park, people using public transport better, walking down and by bike.

“In changing priorities, we can achieve a change in attitude and behavior – after all, we all want safer roads. Please be assured that Birmingham City Council is committed to making our roads safer and healthier for everyone and we have a strong partnership approach to tackling road safety issues and encouraging sustainable travel.”

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