A38 near Streethay needs a safety upgrade
Anyone who is regular user of the A38 around Lichfield will know that this is a very busy and dangerous road. Not only is the volume of traffic on the road an issue, but the poorly designed and badly lit slip roads are also a cause for concern. Recent analysis has shown that on this section of the A38 the numbers of persons killed or seriously injured is five times higher than the national average1. Click on the interactive map icons for road casualty details. Legend: Fatality (RED car), Serious injury (YELLOW car), Outline of the Miller Homes site (PINK line) Both Michael Fabricant, MP for Lichfield and Andrew Griffiths, MP for Burton and Uttoxeter have campaigned for improvements to the A38. Michael Fabricant MP, says the Highways Agency have written to him saying that the Streethay junction's accident record puts it “towards the lower end” of the priority list for the Midlands and that he is disappointed by this response. Other campaigners include Sophie Warrington who is leading a Facebook group calling for better lighting on the A38. Her brother Benjamin, was killed last year when his moped collided with a lorry on the poorly lit section of the A38 near the Streethay junction. The Highways Agency is aware of the issues surrounding the A38. They have already blocked planning permission on two major housing developments proposed for Lichfield City, pending a proper assessment of the impact that these developments will have on the A38 & A5 junctions. The Highways Agency do not support the campaign for better street lighting. They think other solutions such as average speed monitoring will be more effective. A similar scheme is already in place on the A38 from Weeford Island to Bassett’s Pole. BSARA is pleased that local MPs and residents are voicing their concerns over the safety of the A38. However BSARA is disappointed that Lichfield District Council's draft Local Plan, which proposes building 750 homes in Streethay between Trent Valley railway station and the on-ramp to the A38, fails to specify any improvements either to the A38 roadway or to the junction. 1 Source: Pell Frishmann study — A38 Corridor STS Study — Modular Scheme Development Report — refer para. 1.3.4 The Highways Agency has recommended that Lichfield District Council update the transport modelling supporting the District's Local plan and to consider "the outputs of more recent work undertaken by Pell Frischmann" |
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