200 sign petition to improve road safety

More than 200 people have signed a petition calling for action to be taken on a busy West Bromwich road.

Those living on All Saints Way say something urgently needs to be done to improve safety after two accidents and several near misses.

Complaints raised by the residents include what they describe as a dangerous set of parking bays on the road that, which were introduced as part of a red route scheme introduced in 2011.

Residents Jagjeet Bajway who has gathered the petition said she has seen hundreds of near misses and has had her garden wall demolished five times by speeding motorists since the introduction of the red route.

"There have been so many near misses, I'm surprised no one has ever been killed." said the 44-year-old full-time carer. "Since they introduced the bays as part of the Red Route scheme we have had cars beeping their horns at us and threatening residents."

"The red route is a waste of money, it was supposed to be a traffic calming measure but it hasn't worked," she added.

Earlier this year a 59-year-old woman suffered a broken hip, ankle, and suspected broken pelvis after being hit by a car in All Saints Way, outside Sandwell Hospital and just days earlier, a woman in her 60s was taken to hospital after being hit by a car close to the Hargate Arms pub.

Tony Dickenson lives on the same stretch of road and had a lucky escape when getting out the car after he was grazed by a speeding car. He said: "The driver must have been doing about 60 or 70 miles an hour when he clipped me with his mirror.

"I was dazed and confused and stepped on some leaves slipping over and cutting my eye." He added that since the introduction of the parking bays he had been threatened by a number of motorists who don't realise he is trying to park his car.

"It's only a matter of time before someone is killed on this road," said the 50-year-old. "People treat this road like a motorway.

"Something really needs to be done sooner rather than later. But it feels like we are being ignored." In the petition residents also say roots from tall trees are causing damage to their homes, while fallen leaves have been making the footpath slippery.