‘QUICK SOLUTIONS’ are needed to tackle the rise of accidents on the M5 and ease the congestion suffered by motorists.
County MP Harriett Baldwin made the calls after meeting with representatives from Highways England to discuss road issues in her constituency including the M5 roadworks and proposed improvements to the A46 at Sedgeberrow.
In recent weeks the M5 has been blighted by a large number of accidents through the roadworks at between Worcester and the M42 junction causing serious delays to road users.
Work is taking place to upgrade a section of the M5 between junctions 4a (Bromsgrove) and 6 (Worcester) to introduce new technology, and improve journey time for commuters.
The works are expected to last until Spring next year.
Mrs Baldwin raised her concerns about the poor visibility of barriers along the roadworks as well as those at the entrance to motorways.
“There have simply been too many collisions through the narrow lanes of traffic and I have been concerned by poorly marked junctions – particularly at Droitwich,” she said.
“I know that the agency has been looking into this matter and I hope that together we can find some quick solutions to reduce the number of accidents.
“In other parts of the country, major junction improvements have made a huge difference to traffic flow so I hope that the project to turn the M5 sections into a smart motorway improves journey times for local people.”
Highways England said they have worked to improve signage between Junctions 4a and 6 and will deliver a new awareness programme to drivers in the next few weeks.
Janice Allen, project manager at Highways England said: “The M5 J4a to 6 scheme is bringing the latest stretch of smart motorway to the Midlands, with its benefits of decreased journey times and improved safety.
“Safety is always our number one priority both for drivers and our workers. We actively monitor incidents and importantly there has been a decrease in the number of serious incidents between these junctions.
“There has been an increase in minor shunts and damage only incidents and we’ve examined CCTV footage to understand why. We have identified certain types of behaviour, such as close following, exceeding the speed limits and making late lane changes, which may be contributing factors.
“As a result, we’ve improved signing on the road asking drivers to be more vigilant and we’re giving more information on how to drive through roadworks safely with a local awareness campaign starting in the next few weeks.”
