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Robert Street Traffic Public Meeting
Last night the residents of Robert Street came out in force to attend a
public meeting, called by Stuart and Beverley Taylor, whose baby daughter had a narrow escape recently when a car
crashed onto their premises. Around 90 people packed into the School Hall, including Councillors Stanley and
Millward, Headmaster John Crichton, and Dudley Council Highways Officer Peter Van Geersdale. The meeting was chaired
by David Pope.
The agenda centred on the two distinct, though in a number of ways related issues of speeding and parking
, and the proceedings began with Mr. Van Geersdale briefing the audience on Council actions following the most recent
accident.
He explained that new bend signs and chevrons were on their way, faded 'SLOW' markings would be repainted, and
plastic pavement bollards erected. These measures had been financed and ordered.
He believed that the peculiar negative camber of the road as it approaches Deepdale Lane may be a factor, so anti-skid
surfacing would be considered, although the budget for this year had been spent.
With regard to calls for physical traffic calming measures, Mr. Van Geersdale did not see any possibility whatsoever. He
told the meeting that the road was designated 'classified', which means that the Council want as much traffic as
possible to travel down it, so road narrowing, mini islands etc. could not be allowed to hinder free movement.
This issue of Jews Lane to Bull Street being a 'classified' road was a real problem for those present, especially when
Mr Van Geersdale made the same point in connection with calls to reduce the number of heavy vehicles passing down the
road; the Council want through traffic to use Robert Street so would not wish to place weight restrictions or
suggest alternative routes for these lorries.
This briefly raised the subject of the proposed link road.
Heavy traffic goes past both Robert St. and Redhall Primary Schools, the Council tell
us that this is what they want to happen, and then they are proposing to put a major dual carriageway that connects
straight into the Motorway network at the foot of it! Mr. Van Geersdale, calling it the
'Western Orbital Route' (we thought Council Sparks said that this was not just dusting off an old scheme??), said that feeder
roads would be constructed to take traffic more directly to the link road.
Mr. Pope read out a letter from Mr. Hodson at Brierley Hill Police that basically said they had carried out some observations
and had not identified a speeding problem. However, the times they had chosen - Sunday morning for instance - were laughable,
not to mention the fact that with a parked police car present the Heisenberg principle will apply. Residents stated
that on one occasion the police spent half an hour setting up, half an hour finishing off, and just twenty minutes
in the middle of it actually observing.
During the meeting many instances of accidents or near misses were cited. Most of these had not been reported, and Mr.
Van Geersdale stressed that it was only by informing the police of these incidents that statistics would begin to
pile up to make a convincing case for expensive measures such as speed cameras. However, residents replied that
they had tried to make a report but the police were not interested if nobody was injured. Indeed, it appeared to
Yampy that if - and most locals would say that it is 'when' rather than 'if' - somebody actually gets seriously hurt
in Robert Street, or perhaps on the 5 ways pedestrian crossing, or (heaven forbid) outside the school where children
are having to step onto the road because the pavement is blocked by parked cars, only then will decisive action be
taken. Mr. Pope asked that accidents and near misses should be sent to him at
dwpope@blueyonder.co.uk so that he can compile a dossier.
Councillor Stanley made the point, to general agreement from the audience, that any number of signs and new paint would
not be successful, and that all that was needed were speed cameras, one at the top and one at the bottom
of the road. Various attendees pointed out that this had worked at Milking Bank and Himley Road.
The Councillor also raised again the simple expediency of placing a sign to Lower Gornal at Eve Hill, as currently strangers
follow the Gornal sign along the Wolverhampton Road and then have to turn at the Green Dragon, often having arrived in
Sedgley and stopped for directions.
The meeting moved on to discuss parking, a much more complex matter because everyone was glad of the success of the
expanded Robert Street School and grateful for Mr. Crichton for hosting the meeting, and yet it could not be denied
that much of the parking obstruction was caused by parents dropping off and picking up their children (although the
police say that 80-90% of the parked cars are Robert Street residents!).
A further complication is that it is difficult to encourage parents to park further away and walk when their children are
in danger from the speeding problem. Plus the ever present fears for childrens' safety means that mums and dads want
to see their kids right through the school door.
The problem seems intractable; the Council will consider yellow lines if their position can be agreed, but where else
can people park? Something must be done, because there were many stories from the audience of their drives being
deliberately blocked by abusive drivers ("you shouldn't live here if you don't like it"), and on occasions people
actually park in their drive!
Yampy was surprised to learn that the School did not to appear to have considered measures such as staggered
start and end times. Mr. Crichton said that it would not be a problem for staff, but that parents often had more than one
child in different classes. Often, yes - but would it not be worth investigating?
Summing up the meeting, Mr. Pope said that quick answers were not expected and that this was a step on what must be a
steady but determined campaign. He reflected on the fact that it took an accident to bring us together, and
outlined a number of local initiatives he was planning in the community. Yampy will keep you informed of
developments over the coming months.
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