Angry Tettenhall residents demand halt to road changes and new consultation amid traffic concerns

Changes are due to be implemented under a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for a trial period after investigations were completed into the cause of traffic jams and accidents at the junction.

But fears are mounting that the plans will just shift traffic congestion onto other roads, lower air quality and force traffic down narrow, windy roads, causing safety issues for pedestrians and cyclists.

Residents are calling on the council to halt its plans and launch a formal consultation process which would take account of the Tettenhall neighbourhood plan, giving due consideration to its legal standing in 'placing local communities at the heart of decision making'.

Around 70 residents came together for a meeting in the area on Sunday to share their concerns.

Church Hill Road resident Anna Simpson, 42, arranged the meeting. She said: "At the heart of residents' opposition to the proposed traffic changes is its juxtaposition to the neighbourhood plan published for the Tettenhall wards in 2014. This document shared a vision for conserving the area’s character.

"We were advised that the plan would enable local communities to exercise greater control when it came to the matter of local planning.

"It specifically referred to traffic and transport considerations within it. Any planning decision made by the council would conform with the views of local communities as shared in the neighbourhood plan."

She claimed only a small number of residents had recently received a letter from the council regarding the planned changes and no public consultation had been carried out.

"The letters were sent out in a random fashion with only one or two residents in some roads receiving them," she said.

"We, the local community, feel that this is too big a leap to be made without a prior formal consultation."

The works include installing new signage and road markings from January 15.

The council said right turn movements from Henwood Road and Lower Street would also be removed after analysis showed most collisions at the junction involved right turning traffic.

As part of the work one-way systems will be introduced along Stockwell Road, Lothians Road, Malthouse Lane and Upper Green which the council says will help control traffic flow.

Other proposals involve creating additional parking along Upper Green, moving a bus stop and introducing a 20mph speed limit along Keepers Lane from the A41 junction to the Wolverhampton and Staffordshire border 300m to the north.

The proposals will be implemented through an experimental TRO.

The council said objections can be made in the first six months following its implementation, after which the scheme can remain in place for a further year before it is determined whether to make the whole, or part, of the TRO permanent.

But Mrs Simpson said: "Many residents feel that the likelihood of reversing these changes is very low given the financial outlay involved in changing signage and public education.

"The timescale from publishing the letter though to implementation on January 15 is extremely narrow. This window has been further compromised by the closure of offices over the festive period.

"Residents are deeply suspicious that this is a convenient time of year to rush through what will be an unpopular action by the council."

She said that prior to changes in traffic flow, residents wanted to see strategies for reducing car usage being exhausted as a first line measure.

Mrs Simpson added: "Cycling lanes have been introduced on the A41 to improve cyclist safety and reduce conflicts between different road users.

"The winding, narrow gauge of Stockwell and Lothians Road would prohibit the introduction of further cycle lanes.

"These roads along with the Holloway are more challenging for cyclists to utilise as they are significantly steeper. Our fear is that these changes may actually discourage cycling as a viable form of transport around the area."

She said residents were also concerned that the current road use around Stockwell End and the Claregate area had not been properly understood, and the measures will just move congestion elsewhere.

Mrs Simpson said: "We have been provided with data that suggests we can potentially expect a further 50 cars on average per hour to travel through the Stockwell End area.

"Congestions will be transferred to the junction of Stockwell Road and the A41, or the junction with Danescourt.

"Unlike the A41 which was designated as the main bloodline of road traffic into the city, Malthouse Lane/Lothians/Stockwell/Danescourt were to all intents and purposes agricultural tracks dating back several hundred years. They are not fit for high traffic flow.

"The top section of Lothians Road is strictly one car wide. It is questionable how larger commercial vehicles will cope.

"Pedestrians are already vulnerable - there is insufficient space for a car to pass and a walker to continue to move. The corner of Stockwell and Lothians is effectively blind.

"Making the road one-way may increase the speed at which vehicles travel and the number of vehicles may also increase, thus endangering pedestrians."

She added: "It has just been forced upon us. The fact that around 70 people turned up to share their concerns shows we are not going to take this lying down.

"We feel it should be put on hold and there needs to be a formal consultation."

City councillor Udey Singh, who represents the Tettenhall Regis ward, also turned up at the meeting on Sunday.

He said: "Today we've seen a remarkable amount of residents come out and actually display their anger and the fact they are not happy with these new road proposals that are being put in by the council.

"We need to have the residents' thoughts, their ideas, as part of this plan.

"The key thing is that no consultation with the residents has taken place and we demand the residents are listened to in relation to all sorts of changes that are being made within The Rock junction.

"The council can stop this today and I strongly urge them to put a pause on it, speak to the residents, understand their concerns and then come out with further plans as to how they propose to introduce any sort of measures within the area."

A City of Wolverhampton Council spokesperson said: “This junction is a pinch point on one of the city’s key routes and suffers significant congestion at peak traffic times.

“The collision rate experienced at this junction is also high when compared with others across the city with many of those due to right turning traffic, so doing nothing is not an option.

“Considerable efforts have been made to understand and assess the impacts of the proposals, along with investigating alternative options.

“The proposals being consulted on represent the preferred option, when considering all of the evidence and data gathered.

“We welcome all views from residents as part of the consultation which run until January 5 2024, before taking any decision.”

Contribute to the consultation by emailing [email protected].