Crackdown to curb bad driving in Birmingham after spate of road …
A crackdown to curb bad driving is needed in Birmingham following a spate of deaths involving pedestrians and cyclists, Mayor Andy Street has said. Mr Street was responding to calls for action at a residents meeting in Moseley.
Four people, including two children, have been killed in four separate collisions within the space of a month. They were all either pedestrians or cyclists. One of the children was a 12 year-old boy who was struck by a car while using a pedestrian crossing on the Coventry Road[1] on June 8.
Mr Street told the meeting: "The general situation that we've had in the last few weeks of people losing their lives, including a young child on a pedestrian crossing on the Coventry road, that isn't about infrastructure when you tell that story. The boy was using a very clear pedestrian crossing - that is about the standards of driving in the city. So the first thing we have to do is actually be much, much tougher on that."
He explained he had met with West Midlands Chief Constable Craig Guilford[3] and they will be making an announcement at a summit shortly, alongside Walking and Cycling Commissioner Adam Tranter[4]. He indicated this would include how the police plan to resource and enforce safer driving.
The mayor continued: "The second issue is obviously the capital to build the infrastructure. The third issue then is getting the infrastructure built quickly and we have a very significant issue there. And frankly, it's a nationwide issue with all local authorities having a real challenge around that."
Poll - do you feel safe on the roads?[5]
References
- ^ Coventry Road (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ Badgers blamed for huge delay in building new railway station in Birmingham (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ West Midlands Chief Constable Craig Guilford (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ Walking and Cycling Commissioner Adam Tranter (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ Poll - do you feel safe on the roads? (xd.wayin.com)