Engineering
Road Safety Schemes
Local engineering schemes can provide excellent value for money in places with existing road injury problems and are designed to address recorded collisions where people are being injured on a regular basis.
By focusing on sites and areas with poor accident records, road safety engineers concentrate their efforts on places where it is known that people are being killed or injured rather than on perceived risks and that the site or area has a treatable problem.
Road casualty data provided by West Midlands Police is used to determine the safety engineering programme for the following financial year. Analysis is looked at over a 3 and 5 year historical period to identify trends and commonalities and particular emphasis is placed on those sites where there are injuries of a serious nature, or those involving the most vulnerable road users such as children and pedestrians.
Road casualty reduction schemes involves measures designed to reduce the number and severity of accidents based on an existing known pattern.
Active Travel
Active travel is using physically active means for everyday journeys, such as walking and cycling.
The Government have set a vision for half of short journeys in towns and cities to be walked, wheeled or cycled by 2030 and provided funding to Local Authorities to change and improve their road infrastructure to assist in this vision.
The advantages of active travel include increased fitness, cheaper journeys, reduced congestion and wide scale environmental benefits.
Sandwell has secured funding from the Government to introduce a number of large-scale active travel schemes over the next 4 years. The schemes being developed are not just about making local areas better, healthier and greener places for people to live, but to also allow people to walk and cycle in a much safer environment.
Active travel improvements aim to:
- make walking and cycling to work, education and leisure activities more attractive
- improve health and wellbeing by offering eco-friendly travel choices
- broaden travel choices by offering safe, quick and easy walking and cycling options, particularly for short journeys
- support zero emission journeys and reduce reliance on car travel.
List of Schemes for 2024
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Project |
Detail |
Proposed Start |
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ROAD SAFETY SCHEMES |
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A4030 Tollhouse Way to Hagley Road West, Smethwick |
New Pedestrian Crossings, Reduced Speed Limits and Cycle Infrastructure Improvements – |
March 2024 |
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Wood Green Road / Myvod Road, Wednesbury |
Add Pedestrian Facilities to Existing Traffic Signal Junction |
May 2024 |
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Waterfall Lane, Cradley Heath |
Implementation of a Zebra Crossing Facility – |
Summer 2024 |
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Perry Hill Road, Oldbury |
Implementation of a Puffin Crossing Facility – |
Summer 2024 |
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New 20mph Residential Zones |
New Estate Wide 20mph Zones on 2 Estates – |
Autumn 2024 |
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Basons Lane / Warley Road, Oldbury |
Implementation of Traffic Signals |
Autumn 2024 |
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Hydes Road / Hall Green Road, West Bromwich |
Pedestrian Refuges and Crossing Points, Splitter Islands and Lining to Narrow Carriageway and Reduce Traffic Speeds |
Autumn 2024 |
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ACTIVE TRAVEL SCHEMES |
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A461 Peake Drive to Great Bridge, Tipton |
New Segregated Cycle Lanes and New Pedestrian Crossings |
January 2024 |
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Tollhouse Way Phase 4 |
Segregated Cycle Lanes |
January 2024 |
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High Street to Roebuck Lane, West Bromwich |
Segregated Cycle Lanes |
22nd July 2024 |
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Moor Lane, Rowley Regis |
Off-Road Footpath and Existing Steps Improvements |
22nd July 2024 |
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High Street, Cradley Heath |
Cycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure Improvements |
Autumn 2024 / Spring 2025 |
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TOWN CENTRE LEVELLING UP IMPROVEMENTS |
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Union Street, Wednesbury |
Autumn 2024 |
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List of Completed Schemes in Quarter 1 2023/2024
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Project |
Detail |
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ROAD SAFETY SCHEMES |
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Tollhouse Way, Smethwick - Cycle Infrastructure Scheme Phase 3 |
Re-appropriation of road space on Tollhouse Way between Rolfe Street and Cross Street, to the next phase of a 2 way segregated route, as part of a wider scope of work which will eventually link Oldbury Town Centre to the New Hospital and Birmingham City Centre beyond. |
|
Wednesbury Town Centre Heritage Action Zone and Active Travel Improvements |
A combined scheme to reinstall the market to Market Square in the heritage area of Wednesbury Town Centre. Improved wider safer areas for pedestrians, improved pedestrian crossings, speed limit reduction, traffic calming, segregated cycle facilities and reduced vehicle dominance in the busy town centre. |
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Hobs Road, Wednesbury – |
Installation of new zebra crossing outside of Wood Green Primary School to aid children and parents walking to and from school, following the retirement of School Crossing Patrol point. |
List of Completed Schemes in Quarter 2 2023/2024
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Project |
Detail |
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ROAD SAFETY SCHEMES |
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Londonderry Lane, Smethwick – |
Final phase of road safety and sustainable travel improvements to compliment the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre. |
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Windmill Lane, Smethwick – |
Installation of new controlled pedestrian crossing between Trafalgar Road and Ballot Street to aid children and parents walking to and from St Matthews CofE Primary school and the practitioners at the Jamia Masjid Mosque. |
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Manor House Road, Wednesbury – |
Installation of new controlled pedestrian crossing outside of St Mary’s Primary School to aid children and parents walking to and from school, following the retirement of school crossing patrol point. |
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Lightwoods Hill, Old Warley – |
Installation of Vehicle Activated electronic Speed Signs (VASS) and new 20mph limit to reduce vehicle speeds and improve safety environment following petition and community concerns. |
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Vehicle Activated Speed Sign (VASS) Project |
Installation of a number of electronic speed activated warning signs at various locations in the borough, in response to community concerns over speeding vehicles. Includes:
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Ferndale Avenue, Great Barr – |
18-month pilot project of closing off road to vehicular traffic at the Ferndale Avenue entrance to Ferndale Primary School at restricted times, to improve safety environment for children and to help encourage walking to school. |
List of Completed Schemes in Quarter 3 2023/2024
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Project |
Detail |
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ROAD SAFETY SCHEMES |
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Oakham Road, Tividale – |
Updated electronic signage, new central refuges and associated road markings to help tackle concerns raised regarding speeding vehicles and a number of loss of control accidents. |
|
Hallens Drive, Wednesbury |
Installation of permanent speed cushions to deter road racing where road casualties had been recorded. Installed in partnership with West Midlands Police. Replaced temporary bolt down cushions. |
|
Melbourne Road, Smethwick |
Installation of dropped kerbs and tactile paving to assist visually impaired road users. |
List of Completed Schemes in Quarter 4 2023/2024
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Project |
Detail |
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ROAD SAFETY SCHEMES |
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Downing Street / Cornwall Road / Mornington Road Junction, Smethwick |
New traffic signal installation |
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Yew Tree Estate, West Bromwich |
Traffic calming across the whole estate, including additional road safety improvements around Yew Tree Primary School |
Get in touch
If you require road safety input in to any community events or require help or advice, please email Road_Safety@sandwell.gov.uk. For any other road safety concerns on the highway, log onto My Sandwell or call 0121 368 1177.