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Sutton traffic mayhem caused by roadworks

As May has become a washout and as the country sees further lockdown restrictions relaxed, it seems that councils and utility companies think now is a good time to start digging the roads up.

Easing lockdown has meant more people are back at work which in turn means more and more people are on the road.

Thing is, in the Mere Green area of Sutton, they are not moving very far.

It seems the area has become become ring fenced with traffic lights, men in yellow gilets and hard hats and diggers appearing to be the only vehicles moving any great distance.

It has been bad enough on Mere Green Road, where the closure of the pavement outside the new Lidl has caused chaos with traffic lights on an off for months it seems. It doesn’t bode well for when the new store opens in a few weeks.

Then there’s Belwell Lane, a traffic hotspot at the best of times, but even more of a nightmare with temporary lights. No sign of men in hard hats and yellow vests here as the work, apparently by Severn Trent, has come to a standstill.

The worst of the lot has to be Lichfield Road. A double whammy here. For weeks, Birmingham City Council workers have been digging up and resurfacing the pavements, with traffic lights moving towards Mere Green island at a snail’s pace.

To make matters worse, a four-way light system has been installed at the island on Lichfield Road at its junction with Blake Street and Watford Gap Road. Traffic has been tailing back as far as Shenstone in busy periods, and once through drivers then face further delays with the pavement resurfacing work.

This time it’s Western Power Distribution at work. With the schools coming out late afternoon, the area is gridlocked at a peak times.

Spring is here and all the talk is about summer travel. Sadly people are not travelling very far on these roads.