Police crackdown on speeding drivers in Kings Norton
Locals are concerned about the young and elderly.
Last updated 11th Aug 2023
Police are set to crackdown on speeding drivers in Kings Norton following concerns that elderly and young people might be at risk.
Locals voiced their worries at the Kings Norton South ward meeting yesterday (10 August), telling police that motorbikes and cars regularly hurtle down Edgewood Road near the Hawkesley Community Centre.
The area houses a lot of elderly residents and is a popular spot for young people who gather on the park next to the centre during the summer holidays.
A man who has lived nearby for 37 years told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the problem has been long-running.
On three separate occasions over the years, cars have charged off the road towards his back garden, only stopped by a row of trees.
After the third occasion, a crash barrier was installed, but motorists continue to speed around the bend of Edgewood Road, a long street that curves around the community centre, creating an accidental racing track.
PC James McTernan told residents the local neighbourhood policing team would set up a ‘speed watch’ to start gathering data – once enough of a picture is built there is the potential to install speed bumps and other infrastructure.
The action will involve using speed guns to measure miles-per-hour travel of passing vehicles while ‘public order vans’ will be placed at hotspots to deter hasty drivers.
PC McTernan also told attendees the team now had eight officers covering the Hawkesley estate and were implementing a heavy police presence.
He said he was aware of congregations of young people on the square being a concern and the area was under watch with drones and dogs in use.
The news comes amid wider public protest of dangerous driving in the city with several recent deaths and serious injuries of pedestrians and cyclists.
A total of 65 people were killed and 1,021 seriously injured on West Midlands roads in 2022 – a trend police say they were determined to reverse.
Recently mounted enforcement initiative Operation Triton will see more teams dedicated to road safety, more patrols, and greater response to third party reporting by the public including submissions of dashcam and helmetcam footage.
A hard-hitting public safety campaign on billboards and social media featuring frank images and warnings was also launched on Monday (August 7).
Simon Foster, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “People being tragically and avoidably killed and seriously injured on our roads is unacceptable.
“The force has agreed to crackdown on rule breakers on our roads, set up two new police teams to bring dangerous drivers to justice and make it easier for you to report dangerous driving.
“Keeping people safe on our roads must remain a top priority.”
However, not everyone is convinced the measures go far enough.
A spokesperson for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) said they “only partially address the city’s road troubles” and vital improvements to infrastructure were needed.
David Walker, head of road and leisure safety at RoSPA, said: “We welcome some of the previous packages of work, however, these infrastructure changes are critical to achieving the vision of a safer Birmingham and are the measures that will protect everyone, all the time, as we have seen in other world-leading cities.
“Given that exceeding the speed limit and travelling at an inappropriate speed contributes to 27 per cent of fatal collisions, we welcome the commitment to consult on reducing speed limits from 40mph to 30mph.”