13-07-2025
'I fear for my family's life' - Stratford Road protest as road safety 'getting worse'
Campaign group Better Streets For Birmingham staged a protest along one of Birmingham's deadliest roads.
Drivers sounded their horns and gave the thumbs up as members waved placards at the junction of Stratford Road and Fox Hollies Road in Hall Green this afternoon, Sunday, July 13.
There have been countless fatalities on the A34 with locals branding the stretch to Poppy Island a racetrack.
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Last week, the council announced it would be introducing average speed cameras along Stratford Road from Coniston Close to Robin Hood Lane.
The news was welcomed but the group said a rethink of the road layout was also due.
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Ethan Akotiah, 22, who lives off Stratford Road, said: "It's terrible, it's getting worse and worse.
"My nan was in a collision and so was my mom. It's constant and the parking on the red lines is terrible.
"People can be aggressive and I fear for my family's life. Hopefully the speed camera will make a difference."
Better Streets member Shivaji Shiva, from Moseley, said: "I've come here to show our support for local people, this is a city-wide issue.
"This is not pedestrians against drivers, it's about people in Birmingham trying to move safely. I think this road needs a redesign and this and other roads can be made safer."
Kleem Altaf, 47, from Hall Green, said: "We are here protesting because there's been an increase in dangerous motoring in the area. It's endemic across Birmingham and we are not immune to it in Hall Green.
"There have been fatalities on this road and people who have been lucky to survive."
Road safety commissioner and NHS doctor, Mat MacDonald, said: "It's heartening to see so many people and I'm 100 per cent behind them. Average speed cameras have had a positive impact on speeding which is probably the main concern here."
