SAFETY AND SPEEDING ISSUES ON CITY ROAD

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

As a group of residents living in the area along the section of City Road between Portland Road and Rotton Park Road, we are writing to you express our grave concern about the problem of cars breaking the speed limit, driving dangerously and therefore creating a safety risk for pedestrians, other drivers and cyclists.

There have been a number of accidents in recent months, the most recent being on 11th April when two cars were involved. Other incidents in recent memory include a crash on 29th March when Police, Fire Engines and ambulances attended the scene where again, two cars had collided. That’s two significant accidents on the same stretch of road in less than a two-week period.

Speeding is not just a problem on the main City Road. Residents on the Deer’s Leap/Arden Grange estate have witnessed numerous incidences of dangerous driving. On one occasion, irresponsible driving resulted in a crash at the junction of Brook Way/Mead Avenue/Buckthorne Avenue when a resident’s garden wall collapsed from the impact. Cars racing around the estate - especially at night - is a regular occurrence. On Ravenshaw Road/Stanmore Road on the other side of City Road some months back, a car crashed into a downstairs room of a house rendering it structurally unsafe.

It is only a matter of time before something much worse happens. We are therefore calling for a joint response from the West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council to address the problem of dangerous driving on City Road before this issue results in the loss of life. We strongly believe that some mechanism for speed restriction should be put in place, preferably speed bumps, in addition to a 20mph limit. There are other less problematic roads on this side of the city, including parts of Harborne and Edgbaston that have recently had a 20mph speed restriction introduced. Surely, the track record of accidents on this section of City Road should be sufficient to warrant similar decisive action.

We would welcome some consultation with residents on this matter at the earliest opportunity.

In the first instance, members of the Deer’s Leap Residents’ Association management team and Summerfield Street Watch can be contacted as follows:

Jo Jowett: jjowett@globalconnnections.org.uk Thomas Cantwell: tc30tip@hotmail.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you,

Jo Jowett Thomas Cantwell