Birmingham City Council
Local Authority / Fire Service
Action Planned
Birmingham City Council intends to take steps to address the volume of vehicular traffic using the junction of Frederick Road and St James Road. The first phase will be implementation of vertical traffic calming measures and additional signage, with further traffic management measures to follow. (AI summary)
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Dear Ana,
Thank you for your Regulation 28 Report dated 12 August 2025 concerning the tragic death of Charlotte Noordam at the junction of Frederick Road and St James Road in Edgbaston.
Birmingham City Council acknowledges the serious concerns raised in your report, particularly the longstanding safety issues associated with this historic, non-signalised crossroad junction of residential, unclassified roads. While the current road layout, signage, and markings comply with legal standards, we recognise that these measures have not sufficiently mitigated the risks posed to road users. The frequency and severity of incidents at this location, including the 27 recorded collisions between May 2014 and March 2025, underscore the need for more decisive intervention.
As meaningful redesign in alignment with the Safe System approach would require significant demolition of the surrounding built environment, this approach is wholly inappropriate for this setting. Therefore, the Council confirms its intention to take decisive steps to address the volume of vehicular traffic using this junction.
This decision reflects our commitment to prioritise public safety and prevent future loss of life, as set out in our adopted Road Harm Reduction Strategy. Vehicular traffic will be redirected away from residential areas towards the city’s classified road network, which is better equipped to handle higher vehicular traffic volumes safely.
In accordance with the statutory timeframe, the Council is implementing its Fatal Collision Response Protocol to assess the specific site conditions to identify locally appropriate interventions which we intend to deliver in two phases. The first of these will be implementation of vertical traffic calming measures and additional signage to better alert drivers to the presence of the junction. We will deliver these measures within a six- month period of the date of this letter.
As set out above, our further intention is to deliver traffic management measures to direct traffic away from this junction. However, as this could have impacts across the wider road network, this will require further design and assessment work to be undertaken before proceeding to implementation.
Thank you for your Regulation 28 Report dated 12 August 2025 concerning the tragic death of Charlotte Noordam at the junction of Frederick Road and St James Road in Edgbaston.
Birmingham City Council acknowledges the serious concerns raised in your report, particularly the longstanding safety issues associated with this historic, non-signalised crossroad junction of residential, unclassified roads. While the current road layout, signage, and markings comply with legal standards, we recognise that these measures have not sufficiently mitigated the risks posed to road users. The frequency and severity of incidents at this location, including the 27 recorded collisions between May 2014 and March 2025, underscore the need for more decisive intervention.
As meaningful redesign in alignment with the Safe System approach would require significant demolition of the surrounding built environment, this approach is wholly inappropriate for this setting. Therefore, the Council confirms its intention to take decisive steps to address the volume of vehicular traffic using this junction.
This decision reflects our commitment to prioritise public safety and prevent future loss of life, as set out in our adopted Road Harm Reduction Strategy. Vehicular traffic will be redirected away from residential areas towards the city’s classified road network, which is better equipped to handle higher vehicular traffic volumes safely.
In accordance with the statutory timeframe, the Council is implementing its Fatal Collision Response Protocol to assess the specific site conditions to identify locally appropriate interventions which we intend to deliver in two phases. The first of these will be implementation of vertical traffic calming measures and additional signage to better alert drivers to the presence of the junction. We will deliver these measures within a six- month period of the date of this letter.
As set out above, our further intention is to deliver traffic management measures to direct traffic away from this junction. However, as this could have impacts across the wider road network, this will require further design and assessment work to be undertaken before proceeding to implementation.