‘We need action’, speeding campaigners say after car flipped in Solihull road
Councillor Samantha Gethen and Church Hill Road resident Mike Doyle(Image: Sam Greenway LDR)
A former police chief says speeding students “showing off” in his road will lead to lives being lost if action is not taken.
Mike Doyle, a former chief superintendent at West Midlands Police, lives in a stretch of Church Hill Road near Solihull town centre which he says is regularly being blighted by the menace of “feckless” speeding drivers.
Things came to ahead after a recent incident in which a car flipped onto its roof, demolishing two trees and smashing into a lamppost – witnessed by parents with young children.
READ MORE: Solihull nuclear weapons clash as meeting told ‘no-one wants war’
Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp
Mr Doyle said: “It’s been going on for years but has reached a crisis point over the last 12 months.
“There have been numerous incidents, dangerous is an understatement – we are trying to get significant traffic calming and change attitudes.
“They (Solihull Sixth Form College students) turn out of the college and speed up in excess of 50mph.
“They are showing off in front of their friends, saying ‘look at me’.”
Mr Doyle said he wanted to see the police take more action including confiscating the cars involved.
“I went to the police (about the incidents) – I’m an ex-cop and got a shrug of the shoulders,” he said.
“There is no road assessment of the data because it’s not being captured – they want mangled bodies (before they will act).”
Mr Doyle said it was a “lovely” area to live in but speeding had got so bad residents were putting up their houses for sale.
(Image: Mike Doyle)
The lamppost damaged in the recent crash has been replaced with a new one that has a “Speed kills, slow down” sign, and “Slow” has been painted on the road.
But Mr Doyle says that is not working to slow drivers down in the stretch between the junctions for Witley Avenue and Whitefields Road.
“Speed bumps would stop them flying around coming round the blind bend – it is not a difficult problem to solve,” Mr Doyle added.
Councillor Samantha Gethen, who represents the St Alphege ward the stretch is in, said: “We are trying to look at it from all angles, education, traffic calming, anything we can to stop the danger.
“Without the necessary data it’s difficult to make the case for stronger, more targeted interventions, even when the local community can clearly see the risks and consequences unfolding day-to-day.”
The councillor said Solihull Council is looking at introducing a 20mph speed limit near St Alphege Junior School, but if implemented that wouldn’t cover this particular stretch where drivers come down the hill and speed.
(Image: Sam Greenway LDR)
At the last full meeting of Solihull Council – where Mr Doyle raised the issues – Councillor Ken Hawkins, the authority’s cabinet portfolio holder for environment and infrastructure, said: “Solihull roads are the safest in the West Midlands, one of the safest in the country.
“That doesn’t make things right when you have people racing recklessly and causing people’s safety to be at risk.”
The councillor said he would raise the issues with police, adding: “We will be taking this further.”
(Image: Sam Greenway LDR)
A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: “We do collect data on serious collisions and deaths on the road across the whole West Midlands Police force area.
“This data is reviewed and used to inform our patrols and operations.
“In the West Midlands we have set the goal to reduce road deaths and serious injury by 50 per cent by 2030 and to zero by 2040.”
Inspector Tom Clayton, from Solihull Local Policing Area previously said: “We’ve been working with partners and carrying out proactive patrols and operations.
“This partnership approach is vital and involves everyone from local speedwatch groups to the local authority and colleagues from our roads policing unit.
“Anyone concerned about speeding and dangerous driving can report it to us via 101.”
Solihull Sixth Form College was contacted for comment.