WHEN are we going to slow down the traffic flow through Lickey End?

At current vehicle speeds we are liable to get a serious injury, or even a death.

The problem often starts at the M42 at the Old Forest, now the Harvester. Some vehicles think that they are still on the motorway and come down the A38 (Birmingham Road) and the B4026 (Alcester Road) at a ridiculously high speed, without any regard for the road conditions.

The Birmingham Road is within a 40mph limit, but some cars have been known to do in excess of 70mph and the average speed outside the rush hour appears to be around 50mph.

When you take into account the many houses between the Forest and the Old Mount School, plus the difficult exit from the Esso Forest service station onto the A38, this is an unacceptably high speed and one that is bound to result in a serious accident in the future.

The Alcester Road presents an even worse example of an accident waiting to happen.

The speed limit is 30mph, but many cars come on and off the motorway doing at least 50mph.

Between the M42 and the Recreation Ground there is a church, a social club, a local shop, a school and of-course the Rec itself.

The potential for a catastrophe is enormous, particularly with young children crossing this dangerous road.

An attempt to slow the traffic was made some two years ago when 'traffic calming' measures were built around the Lickey End First School.

These were initially successful, but they have now become almost meaningless to some motorists, who drive over them without even checking their speed.

The obvious answer is to erect speed cameras on both stretches of road. These, together with warning signs, will have a dramatic effect on vehicle speeds.

It is appreciated that it will require financing, but the safety benefits must surely outweigh the funding.

We must all ask ourselves the question- Can we afford a child's death on our conscience?

John A Harris

Forest Close

Lickey End