Dudley Council has been awarded a grant of more than £1 million for a scheme to improve traffic flow on bottleneck roads across the borough.
The investment is from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), will be used to improve the performance of traffic lights on several busy roads in Dudley, Sedgley, Cradley and Brierley Hill.
The roads have been selected because they are hotspots on the Key Route Network, a list of roads identified by Transport for West Midlands, which is part of the WMCA, as the busiest in the West Midlands.
The work in Brierley Hill will complement existing work in and around the town centre as part of the government’s Future High Streets Fund. Council chiefs hope the schemes will improve access to Merry Hill and Brierley Hill town centre and reduce queuing traffic.
Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for public realm, said: “Congestion on our roads is a big problem across the region. Traffic speeds in the West Midlands are 15 per cent slower than the national average and we are the fifth most congested metropolitan area in the UK.
“For that reason I hugely welcome this grant, which will be used to significantly improve the performance of traffic lights in key locations. It will allow us to use new technologies to improve traffic flow, reduce emissions and significantly curtail energy usage.
“That will have a knock on effect for productivity as it becomes easier for our businesses and our residents to get around the borough, and supports our aspirations as a council to deliver cleaner, greener transport systems.”
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMCA, said: “We are making major improvements to Dudley’s public transport right now with the construction of the new Metro line, the redevelopment of the bus station interchange, and some key upgrades to bus services in the pipeline – which will help give people even better alternatives to the car.
“But we also need a road system that works better for people who rely on it, and we know from our Regional Transport Coordination Centre there are some things we can do to cut queues and improve traffic flows in the town. I am therefore really pleased that we’re able to support Dudley Council in doing this and improving the borough.”
