MEASURES to improve the safety of a notorious Rubery road could be one step closer, according to a local councillor.

Bromsgrove District Councillor Peter McDonald (Lab-Uffdown and Waseley) says that after years of campaigning, improvements to part of the A38 are in sight.

"I have been fighting for more robust and secure railings at the Callowbrook Lane and A38 bypass for three to four years and now it looks as if they could go ahead," he said.

The road cuts through the heart of the parish and, according to Cllr McDonald, there have been a number of very near misses as pedestrians attempt to cross the busy highway.

Worcestershire County Council took control of a 20-mile stretch of the road from the Highway's Agency on July 1, 2002. The road was de-trunked by the Government and maintenance is now the responsibility of the county's highways partnership units.

Cautious

Coun McDonald added: "I am very pleased but cautious as we have been promised improvements for many years. Hopefully the matter will be discussed in the next two weeks."

However Jon Fraser, manager of the Highways Partnership in Bromsgrove, said the improvements Cllr McDonald has been campaigning for are far from set in stone. "This is just one of the schemes we are considering at the moment but the funding has not yet been identified," he said.

He went on to say that even if the safety measures are implemented, it might not stop people from crossing the road at that point.