For residents living in the vicinity of the A456 in Halesowen, the scourge of car cruising has been causing an irritation at various points over the last few years.
Whilst everyone living on or near a main road will accept that there will be some level of noise, the stories I’ve heard from local residents are completely unacceptable. Dangerous drivers will congregate and drive up and down Manor Way at high speeds and pull off stunts, not just causing noise pollution for those living nearby but also putting themselves at risk and risking the lives of those using the road responsibly.
The issue was particularly bad during lockdown when the roads were quieter, but unfortunately, we’ve seen repeated instances over the summer and early autumn.
As an MP, I’ve always believed that bringing residents together and letting them air their views to those in authority is the best way to get an issue resolved. That’s why I’ve been meeting with them, local Councillors, Police officers and Council officials to urge the need for action, as well as writing an open letter to the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police.
I welcome the arrests that have been made recently as part of ‘Operation Hercules’, the dedicated response from West Midlands Police to tackle car cruising, and I welcome the liaison that is ongoing between the force and the local authority to install a camera on the A456 to make it easier to track the vehicles involved.
Car cruising has been an issue across the Black Country too, and recently I teamed up with my colleague Nicola Richards, MP for West Bromwich East, to meet with the Policing Minister Chris Philp and make the case for updating legislation to make life easier for Police, At the moment they are relying on injunctions from the High Court, which are temporary and can be costly and bureaucratic to keep having to renew.
If you live near the A456 and have been experiencing these issues, then please do get in touch with me at [email protected], and if you do manage to obtain any photographic or video evidence then please forward it on to the Police.
This article first appeared in the Halesowen & Dudley News on 12th October 2023.
