'This is life and death' - Parish councillors battle to reduce speeding on killer Bridgnorth road

According to Councillor Kieran Chambers, from Alveley and Romsley Parish Council, there have been six serious crashes on the A442 between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster. 

Three of them were as a result of speeding, said Cllr Chambers following a Freedom of Information request he sent to West Mercia Police.

On September 15, Kristian Alan Morris, aged 41 from Wolverhampton, died when his motorcycle crashed in Quatford. 

That came on the back of another fatality when a man in his 30s was killed on August 24 when his motorbike collided with a tree in Dannesford.

There was also a serious crash on the A442 on November 7 when two people had to be cut free after a two-car collision in Alveley, near to the Fenn Green junction. 

There is nothing to suggest that speeding contributed to any of the incidents, however Councillor Chambers is worried more fatalities could happen.

“Even when I go down the road myself, people zoom past you,” he said.

“You’re doing the speed limit, but they just speed past. It’s like they’re going to cause a collision and it needs to stop.

“I’m raising awareness of people’s speeding and to get people to pay attention to their speed and drive safely, not just for other road users but for themselves because it’s dangerous.

“It’s not like other issues where it’s a bit annoying but it’s something that can be tolerated, this is life and death.”

Councillor Chambers added that he has been in talks with the Safer Neighbourhood Team in the about setting up a Community Speed Watch, however that could take time.

“There’s a lot of regulations around that,” he said.“You’ve got to have six volunteers, three people out each time, and  the vetting forms can take up to 12 months to go through, so it can take a lot to set up. But I think it could help.

“It’s not just about educating existing drivers. We’ve got a primary school here so we could go in there and speak to the children about proper driving behaviours and what the road signs mean.

“I think the next step now will be to take around surveys and ask the general public if they’re interested in this so see what the support is.”