County council chiefs say talks are taking place to deal with safety concerns after residents branded a footpath near a children’s play area in Lichfield as “dangerous”.
Pedestrians are currently being forced into the road on the A5127 near Streethay Park due to an overgrown hedgerow.
But residents living nearby say they are concerned the issue will lead to an accident if it is not cut back given the number of vehicles using the route to access the A38.
One told Lichfield Live:
“Originally, you could at least crouch to get under the bush that was growing, but now you have to step into oncoming traffic as there’s no way past it.
“It’s bad enough for adults, but the children going to and from the park are at real risk.
“Some vehicles bomb down this road to get to the A38. It is too dangerous for pedestrians at the moment and there is no footpath on the other side of the road either for them to use.
“How long will it be before someone steps out into the path of a car or lorry?
“Every year this is a problem until we complain about it – the hedge should be cut back long before it gets to the state it is in at the moment.”
Another local resident added:
“We’ve already seen a death after a man was hit by a car on this stretch of road a few years ago, so it is disgraceful that the footpath has been allowed to get as dangerous as it is now.
“This is also a path used more than ever because of the new primary school and housing in Streethay, so it really needs to be fixed sooner rather than later.
“Not only can you not walk past the overgrown hedge but you also have no visibility beyond it now to see whether it is safe to step on the road to go round it.
“It is an accident waiting to happen.”
Staffordshire County Council said it was looking to resolve the issue.
Cllr Mark Deaville, cabinet member for strategic highways at Staffordshire County Council, said:
“In most cases, hedges mark the boundary with private property and are usually the responsibility of the adjacent landowner to properly maintain them so they do not prevent pedestrians from passing safely.
“Our highways teams have received reports about the overgrowth and are liaising with who they believe is the responsible landowner.
“In the meantime, anyone concerned about the issue can report it on the MyStaffs App and we will update them accordingly.”
Oh well, we don’t need to worry about it- the county council are talking about it. When it comes to highway problems, that’s all they seem to do.
I reported via the Staffs County Council website overgown shrubs on the raised path on Netherstowe on 30.12.2023. I received a reply on 27.03.24 saying the site had been assessed and it did not pose an immediate risk to public safety, so a non-urgent work instruction had been arranged. The shrubs haven’t been cut back and the path is 2/3 blocked. Surprised no-one has tumbled down the bank into the road.
It in the way. Cut it down and bill the owner. Oh wait there’s no council workers left to perform any maintenance, clear paths, the drains etc.