Observations

Walsall Road, Lichfield

1. The petition of residents of the constituency of Lichfield,
2. Declares that Walsall Road, a residential C road, is being used as a shortcut by medium and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) throughout the day and night, causing significant disturbance to residents; further declares that there is a purpose-built road for such vehicles, the A461, running parallel to Walsall Road and that despite clear signage indicating that HGVs should use the A461, drivers of these vehicles consistently choose to drive along Walsall Road; further declares that whereas the A461 has relatively few dwellings along the carriageway, well set back from the road, with wide verges, footpaths and a cycleway, Walsall Road is narrower, has dwellings almost continuously along the carriageway, close to the road, often with only a narrow footpath with useable width 90cm in places, and that as a result of all this, residents of Walsall Road suffer unnecessary noise day and night, the traffic is causing vibration damage to properties on the road, and pedestrians, including children walking on and crossing Walsall Road to reach Christ Church Primary School, are often little more than one metre from HGVs, many of which exceed the 30 mph speed limit; and further declares that despite the nuisance and danger caused by this state of affairs, Staffordshire County Council Highways Department has not taken action to improve the situation for residents on the road in question.
3. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to encourage Staffordshire County Council to place a 7.5 tonne weight limit upon the section of Walsall Road between its southerly junction with Limburg Avenue and its northerly junction with Friary Road and that ongoing section of Friary Road to its junction with Bowling Green Roundabout.
4. And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Dave Robertson, Official Report, 25 March 2026; Vol. 783, c. 368.]
5. [P003181]
6. Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Simon Lightwood):
7. The Department understands the concerns raised by petitioners regarding the impact of heavy goods vehicles using Walsall Road in Lichfield.
8. Responsibility for the management of local roads, including decisions on whether to introduce weight limits, rests with the relevant local highway authority. It is best placed to assess local traffic conditions, consider the needs of residents and businesses, and balance these against wider network requirements. It has statutory powers within the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to introduce traffic restrictions, including weight limits, through traffic regulation orders, where they consider this appropriate.
9. The legislation that prescribes traffic signs for local authority use is the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016, as amended. There are regulatory signs which can prohibit the use of certain roads by the width, height, length or weight of a vehicle, which are legally enforceable. The Department has published guidance on these signs in chapter 3 of the traffic signs manual, which can be found on the Department’s website at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual
10. The Department for Transport cannot intervene in decisions about local traffic management, nor can we instruct local authorities to apply specific traffic restrictions on individual roads.
11. Residents should continue to raise their concerns about the impact of heavy goods vehicles directly with Staffordshire county council as the local highway authority. Alternatively, they can raise their request with their local elected representatives, who can consider whether further assessment or action is warranted.