Call follows numerous complaints about road hazards.
Local MPs have warned that it is “a matter of time” before there is a serious collision near Birmingham City Council’s Lifford Lane depot in Kings Norton. Richard Burden MP (Northfield) and Steve McCabe MP (Selly Oak) are calling for urgent action by the city council to resolve multiple hazards associated with traffic trying to gain access to and from the site.
The call comes as visitors to council tips throughout the city are facing lengthy delays following the introduction the unpopular ‘garden tax’ which means that householders are being charged £35 annually to have garden waste removed.
In a letter to the council, the MPs have raised concerns that congestion around the depot on Lifford Lane is causing severe delays, with some drivers attempting to cut along the outside of the queues to get on with their onward journeys. The MPs have warned that this congestion problem poses real and immediate risks of head on collisions.
Beyond Lifford Lane itself, traffic going to and from the depot is also causing significant hazards on the nearby Melchett Road – where parked cars line the road through Kings Norton Business Centre on weekdays.
The MPs have called for a summit with council bosses and the police to establish an action plan to cut congestion and improve safety in the area.
After a recent visit to the area, Richard Burden commented: “There simply is not enough room in the area for the weight of traffic, especially when you see so many commercial vehicles weaving in and out trying to get to and from Lifford Lane as quickly as possible.
A number of parked cars have already had their overtaking mirrors removed by passing traffic, and it is only a matter of time before something more serious happens.”
Steve McCabe added: “I have received countless complaints from constituents about traffic problems around Lifford Lane tip and it has become noticeably worse over the last few months with people going to the tip to get rid of their green waste.
It is having a real impact on local businesses and residents and the Council’s response to this growing problem is just not good enough. If they don’t get on with sorting it out someone will get hurt.”
