A41 Warwick Road 'to be improved' as residents urged to act now

Residents are being given the chance to have their say on how £1 million should be spent on improving road safety on a key route. Residents along the A41 Warwick Road - the main route from Solihull to Acocks Green - have complained about traffic chaos and speeding drivers for years.

At the latest meeting of the cabinet portfolio holders’ environment and infrastructure decision session Paul Tovey - head of service at Solihull Highways - spoke about the authority securing £1.265m for the A41 Warwick Road safer roads fund project. The Department for Transport (DfT) cash was secured following a bid which highlighted the fatalities recorded over a 10-year period.

Among the fatal crashes on the road were incidents in 2018, 2021 and 2022. In December last year a video of a car flipping onto its side narrowly missing a woman and child on the road went viral on social media.

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At the meeting, on September 5, Mr Tovey said: “We have identified the route of the A41 corridor as being a priority for us based on the collision records that have happened there. It is an evidence based project.”

Officers identified four key issues from analysis of the road safety which took place in 2023. These were roadside hazards - including a need to remove items of street furniture considered to be a risk to motorists; high vehicle speeds; poor observation of drivers when manoeuvring at junctions; and the need for additional pedestrian crossing facilities at key locations. Three mobile camera enforcement sites were found to have not had a significant impact on driver behaviours so officers said focus should also be on the introduction of average speed camera enforcement equipment along the road.

Among the proposals the authority has suggested could be considered are:

• Dedicated right hand turn lane into Dovehouse Parade

• Pedestrian signal phases at A41/Seven Star Road junction

• Controlled crossing at Solihull Bypass from Beechnut Lane

• Relocation of street lighting columns to the rear of the footway and an upgrade to more efficient LED units.

The portfolio holder for environment and infrastructure Conservative councillor Ken Hawkins said he “fully agreed” the prioritising of the A41 for the “substantial funds” was the right decision. Liberal Democrat Councillor Kathryn Thomas said: “For me the two areas of concern are the junctions near (Olton) library close to my ward (Lyndon) where we get a lot of accidents due to the turning and pedestrians crossing.

“The other one is outside Dovehouse Parade where we had the fatal accident. Turning out of Dovehouse is difficult which does encourage people to take chances. Anything we can do is appreciated.”

The cabinet portfolio holder granted permission for the proposals to go out to consultation for six weeks. The consultation will take place both online and speaking to residents near the A41.

A final scheme will then be drawn up returning to the council early next year for approval. Work on the improvements is then expected to take place between 2025 and 2026.

The £1m comes from the DfT’s £47.5m pot to enhance road safety nationally originally announced in April last year.

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