A group of councillors is pressing for urgent safety measures on the A44 between Cotheridge and Broadwas after a series of crashes, including a push to reduce the 60mph limit.
Data released this week by West Mercia Police show five crashes along this portion of the A44 over the past five years, resulting in two fatalities and five serious injuries.
Last month, on Friday 3 April, the A44 near Cotheridge was closed for several hours after a collision between a van and a motorbike, in which a motorcyclist in his 20s died. A fatal crash in Cotheridge occurred on 7 August last year following a collision involving two motorbikes and a car, in which a motorcyclist in his 50s died at the scene and a second rider in his 30s was taken to hospital with leg injuries.
LOCATION: The corner near Cotheridge on the A44 where there have been crashes (Image: Google Maps)
Richard Burrows, chair of Broadwas and Cotheridge Parish Council, along with county councillor Mel Fordington and district councillor Barbara Williams, are pressing for urgent action, while MP Harriett Baldwin has called for a review. Mr Burrows wrote that the response has been “too little, too late” and argued that Worcestershire County Council is not listening amid “rising fatalities.” He added: “Local residents are living with acute safety fears. The parish council has made numerous attempts in recent years to get the county council to address this.”
Cllr Mel Fordington, the Conservative county councillor for the area, described progress as “painfully slow” and said very little has actually changed on the ground, with residents still waiting to be told where and when these promised improvements will occur. She argued that work should include lower speed limits, greater use of safety technology, and targeted changes to the road layout. “Anything less fails to take the safety of residents and road users seriously enough and leaves local people open to further avoidable tragedies,” she said.
Dame Harriett Baldwin, MP for West Worcestershire, said she was working with the parish council and Cllr Fordington to address road safety along the A44. She added: “I’ve been told that the county council has taken action in limited, specific ways but I think it is time for a proper review and for the authorities to listen to the concerns of local people and act to significantly improve road safety.”
A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: “We have a speed enforcement site on the A44 at Broadwas, which is regularly attended, and recent speed data collected when enforcement is not present shows good compliance at this location (85 per cent of vehicles are travelling at 26mph or under).”
A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said it had undertaken a detailed collision investigation of the A44 west of Worcester, identifying a number of highway engineering improvements with the potential to transform safety on the route.
