Birmingham roundabout driving 'terrifying' locals with speeding and 'overturned cars'

Residents have warned about speeding drivers 'terrifying' locals on a busy Kingstanding roundabout. Families in the Birmingham suburb say dangerous driving is going unpunished - but the Kingstanding Circle was the main concern.

The massive roundabout is the heart of the ward connecting Kingstanding Road and Kings Road. It is a bustling spot, where takeaways and charity shops banter with customers amid the roaring traffic outside.

It was also the home of the beloved Kingstanding Shopping Centre, the hive that attracted busy bee shoppers, now sadly demolished into a pile of rubble. Residents regularly using the junction say people are taking it at too much speed.

Read more:Thousands of dangerous drivers caught in new way which means police don't need to see them

Earlier this year, a 63-year-old emerged from the shower to find a car flew into her front garden, not far from the circle. Steven Solomon, 63, a Kingstanding resident and driving instructor said: "I take learners there everyday and it is always built up. Their parents are terrified of the circle so that doesn't help.

"It is bad with crossings after every exit. Drivers get frustrated waiting to get in, they put their foot on the gas and drive fast around other drivers to get past.

"I am surprised more accidents don't happen there. There is also a bus stop on the roundabout which is not great, cutting off the lane.

"It is very fast around Kingstanding, people just drive fast now and not just around the circle. There are no police or deterrents. Those drivers could have killed someone, sometimes it is just luck."

Another resident, Alan Edge, said: "I've reported speeding drivers on Kings Road, Great Barr, side several times to police and councillors but nothing ever gets done. Two of my neighbours have had their parked cars written off and their wall demolished in recent years by speeding drivers losing control.

"One was only a fortnight ago and the car ended up on its roof. Trouble is it's a dual carriageway with a 30 mph limit and only one sign at Buffet Island end.

"So people assume it's 40 mph so they drive at 50 mph and above, especially at night. They even jump the red lights at Shady Lane junction.

"It's just a matter of time until someone gets killed. People parking inside zig-zag markings and all over the pavement outside Greggs. It's an offence but nobody ever does anything about it."

When we visited the circle, one issue locals pointed to was the lack of police presence. Kingstanding's police station was converted into a Domino's takeaway. Residents searching for their nearest police station on West Midlands Police's website are directed to either Sutton Coldfield or Birmingham Central in the city centre, six miles away.

As BirminghamLIve has previously reported, fatal crashes have torn communities apart and children have suffered horrifying incidents during school runs. In August the public submitted over 11,000 clips showing dangerous and careless driving in the West Midlands.

In 2017, the force had 208 reports, however in 2023 that figure jumped to 7,145. And in the last year police have had more than 11,000 submissions with June the biggest ever month with 1,467 submissions. Almost 50 a day.

Millie Mackin, 29, lives just a few minutes away from the circle and uses it regularly. She was more concerned with driver responsibility, saying: "In the day time it's not so much the speed that's an issue but it's the all around bad driving, people do not pay attention and pull out on each other, over taking stopped buses without checking to see if the other lane is clear, things like that.

"The circle is a difficult roundabout to access at times as no one seems to understand how to indicate, I will not pull out on to a roundabout unless I am certain it's safe as I have a baby in the car. Obviously this can cause traffic to back up at each entrance as you have to put your own safety first.

"It's also a common route for driving instructors which unless their student is confident, should not be. The learner drivers in this area are not being taught by competent teachers, I see problems being cause by learners daily, driving 10mph in a 30mph limit is just asking for trouble.

"It creates a window for dangerous overtaking and road rage. People are impatient, especially when they're trying to get somewhere on a time limit."

When asked how this could be improved, she said: "I'm personally not sure as it's not the roads that are the problem it's the people. You have young people that want to go fast, you have old people who crawl everywhere and then you just have the ignorant people who think they're king of the road."

West Midlands Police released a statement saying: "We are working with communities and partners and are aware of their entirely understandable concern when it comes to road safety. Our proactive approach involves focused operations in key areas, tackling the “fatal four” and preventing harm to the most vulnerable road users.

The fatal four includes speeding, drink and drug driving, using a mobile phone while driving and not wearing a seatbelt. We've also invested in roads policing across the West Midlands.

The new Roads Policing Unit have been given the mission to target criminals who use the road network, and reduce the number of offences. We’re putting more officers out onto the roads, in new, unmarked, smaller and more agile cars that will allow us to be really nimble as we get around town and city centres.

In Kingstanding as a neighbourhood team we also understand that people have concerns and we would encourage them to call us direct so that all concerns are logged, this way, we can direct our resources to deal with issues and concerns that affect people in a specific area.

"Over the next few weeks we will be conducting road safety operations to deal with the issues raised. We are more determined than ever as a force to achieve Vision Zero.

"But we need the help of every road user to achieve it. We've also got a dashcam submission initiative called Operation Snap.

"If you capture driving offences on CCTV, video or dashcam you can submit it to our Op Snap portal. Last year, we invested in a dedicated team to review footage of careless and dangerous driving, meaning the number of submissions has shot up from 207 in 2017 to 7,145 last year, and more than 10,000 already this year.

"Here's how you can submit your footage."