West Midlands

Key Route Network

Wednesfield to Wednesbury

LV E R H A M P T O N

WEST
BROMWICH
Figure 1
12
A5
West Midlands

M6
LICHFIELD Birmingham A38, A38(M), A47, A435, A441, A4400, A4540, A5127, B4138,
Cross City B4144, B4145, B4148, B4154

Key Route Network 11a

11 A5
Birmingham Outer Circle A4030, A4040, B4145, B4146
Birmingham to Stafford A34
Black Country Route A454(W), A463, A4444
3 2 1 Black Country to Birmingham A41
M54 BROWNHILLS

M
A5

6
To
Coventry to Birmingham A45, A4114(N), B4106

4
10a

12

ll
A4
East of Coventry A428, A4082, A4600, B4082

A4
52
A449

S TA F F O R D S H I R E East of Walsall A454(E), B4151, B4152

61
OXLEY

A4
M
Kingswinford to Halesowen

A38
A459, A4101

6
Lichfield to Wednesbury
60

WEDNESFIELD A461, A4148

A4

A462

A3

54
North and South Coventry A429, A444, A4053, A4114(S), B4098, B4110, B4113
A4

A4
A4124
1

WA L S A L L Northfield to Wolverhampton A4123, B4121

10
A454 A454 Pensnett to Oldbury A461, A4034, A4100, B4179
W O LV E R H A M P T O N
Sedgley to Birmingham A457, A4030, A4033, A4034, A4092, A4182, A4252, B4125, B4135

8
03 S U T TO N T3 Solihull to Birmingham A34(S), A41, A4167, B4145
9 A4148
A4
COLDFIELD
49

PENN B I L STO N
Stourbridge to Wednesbury A461, A4036, A4037, A4098
A4

63
A4

Stourbridge to
M
A449, A460, A491
A4

6
12

1
8 7

A5127
North of Wolverhampton

04
3

WEDNE SBURY

A4
A4031

M
A4

6
UK Central to Brownhills A452

52

42
To
WEST 9
7

ll

M
03

BROMWICH K I N G S TA N D I N G
West Bromwich Route A4031, A4041
A4

G R E AT B A R R

A3
SEDGLEY West of Birmingham A456, A458, B4124

M
M5

8
61

A3
Wednesfield to Wednesbury A462, A4038
A4

E R D I N GTO N
A4

A41 PERRY BARR

59

Wolverhampton to Brownhills A4124

1
A4182 5
DUDLEY 6 Wolverhampton to Halesowen A459, B4171

A4
M
A4

A4
8(
A4252

PENSNETT OLDBURY

52
57

A3
M6 A5, A45, A46, A446, A452

46
Operated by Highways England – Trunk Roads – not part of KRN
A4

A4101 A47
12

A4040

Strategic Road Network Operated by Highways England – Motorways – not part of KRN
3

5
M
B4

A4
KINGSWINFORD S A LT L E Y
A4036

17

2
A4

SMETHWICK
M6 Toll

04
Operated by Midland Expressway Limited – not part of KRN
1
59

0
A4030

7a
BIRMINGHAM
A4

BEARWOOD 7 4 3a
91

3
10

BRIERLEY A456 YA R D L E Y
M6
A4

A4

HILL
HARBORNE
54
0

WA RW I C K S H I R E
Birmingham
A458

A444
A4
Airport

A4
8

STO U R B R I D G E

5
A3

69
52
HALESOWEN
A435

M
A45
B4121

MERIDEN FOLESHILL
S E L LY
A456 OAK
MOSELEY
2
A441

B4
A4

09
5
A4040 A4
HALL GREEN W A L S G R AV E M6

8
1

3
A444
8

11
A3

B4
A3

0
60
4

N O RT H F I E L D
SOLIHULL

A4

A4
5

11
M

4
5
WORCE STERSHIRE COVENTRY A428

2
08
A4

9
42

A4
2
5

A4
M

6
A4
4 4

6
A4
A38
M5

4a 1 2 3 3a
0 1km 2km 3km 4km 5km M42
West Midlands Key Route Network (KRN) Map, Version 1.0, August 2017
2
M
5

0 1m 2m 3m 4m 5m
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right (2017)
40
M
 The Wednesfield to Wednesbury route is an
ROUTE DESCRIPTION
9 mile/14km section of the West Midlands
Key Route Network (KRN) that serves the
communities of:
• Wednesfield
• Wednesbury
• Darlaston
• Moxley
• Walsall; and
• Willenhall
The route provides a direct connection from the
North to the Black Country providing access to
retail and industrial activity. Sites along this route
include: Kings Hill Business Park, Wednesbury
Trading Estate and Kenway Retail Park
(Willenhall) amongst other industrial sites.
The route is formed of the A462 (connecting
Wednesbury and Wednesfield) and the A4038
(connecting Moxley and Walsall) the two roads
crossing at Darlaston.
The A462 is a predominantly urban route that
heads into the Black Country from the North,
East of Wolverhampton. This route originates
at the A461 in Wednesbury and is a single lane
non-primary route that passes through Darlaston,
where it meets the A4038, and then through to
Willenhall, where it passes under the A454 Black
Country Route. This single carriageway continues
North passing the A4124 junction and later
travels over the M6/M54 junction before going
on to M6 junction 11.
The A4038 is an urban route that runs across
the North of the Black Country. This route starts
at Moxley junction with the A41 and A4444
(providing access into Wolverhampton City
Centre) and continues East to Darlaston as a dual
carriageway until it meets the A462. Beyond the
A462 junction, the A4038 travels into Walsall
through industrial and residential areas before
passing under the M6 (between junctions 9 and
10). This road terminates at the A4148 Walsall
Ring Road.
The route does not form any direct connection
to the Strategic Road Network (SRN). However,
the A462 continues northwards beyond the
WMCA boundary to eventually meet with the M6
junction 11 near Shareshill in South Staffordshire
The Wednesfield to Wednesbury route has
numerous connections with other KRN routes,
these include:
• Lichfield to Wednesbury Route
(A461/A4148)
• Black Country to Birmingham Route
(A41)
• Black Country Route
(A454 [W]/ A463/A4444)
• Wolverhampton to Brownhills Route
(A4124)
These routes provide connectivity to Walsall,
Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Brownhills.
3
 LICHFIELD
Key Facts
Route Length:
9 miles/14km
S TA F F O R D S H I R E
Volume of Traffic in 2016:
*55.35 million vehicle kilometres

Main Centres served:

Darlaston, Wednesbury and Walsall
WA L S A L L
Coordinating Highway Authority:
W O LV E R H A M P T O N
West Midlands Combined Authority

Responsible Local Highway Authority:

Walsall Council and Sandwell
WEST Metropolitan Borough Council
BROMWICH
Number of KSI collisions 2014-2016:
31

DUDLEY
*This figure has been calculated using AADT
link data. Flows on minor roads such as B roads
therefore may not be included.
BIRMINGHAM

WA RW I C K S H I R E

WORCE STERSHIRE SOLIHULL

COVENTRY

Figure 2 4
 Congestion, Delay, Reliability Table 1: AM Peak Congestion Related Delays
ROUTE PERFORMANCE
This route represents 2% of the total length
of the West Midlands Key Route Network.
Road Location Direction
According to the latest data available from 2016, A462 Essington Road/Cannock Road, Beacon Road to Southbound
this route had a minimum annual average daily Coppice Lane, New Invention
flow (AADF) of 7,400 vehicles, a maximum of A462 Straight Road, Drancy Avenue to Bloxwich Road North, Short Heath Southbound
17,200 with an average of 11,600 AADF.
A462 High Street, Haley Street to Bentley Lane, Short Heath Northbound
The route experiences large volumes of traffic,
particularly on: A462 Clarkes Lane, Little Island Drive to Southbound
B4464 Wolverhampton Road, Willenhall
• the A462 between the A4124 Lichfield A4038 Walsall Road/Darlaston Road, Bills Street, Darlaston, to Eastbound
Road and the A463 Armstrong Way; and A4148 Old Pleck Road, Pleck
• the A4038 between the A462 Darlaston
Road and the A4148 Bescot Road.

The locations of the most significant

congestion-related delays (>60 sec/km)
are set out in Tables 1 and 2:

5
 Peak hour journey time on the sections of the Table 2: PM Peak Congestion-Related Delays
ROUTE PERFORMANCE
route experiencing the highest delays has been
found to be 150% higher than (i.e. 2½ times) the
equivalent free flow time, which is based on the Road Location Direction
average journey time between 22:00 – 06:00. A462 Cannock Road, Coppice Lane to A4124 Lichfield Road, New Invention Northbound

A particular impact of the congestion is to create A462 High Street, Haley Street to Bentley Lane, Short Heath Northbound
problems with access to New Cross Hospital
and Wednesbury Trading Estate, Ashmore Lake A462 Clarkes Lane, B4464 Walsall Road to Ashmore Lake Way, Willenhall Northbound
and other industrial areas where businesses may
A462 Clarkes Lane, Little Island Drive to B4464 Wolverhampton Road, Willenhall Southbound
supply or rely on just-in-time deliveries.
A462 Bilston Lane, Owen Road to Clarkes Lane, Willenhall Northbound

Average Speeds
The average speed for this route in the AM peak is between 10-20 mph throughout its busiest
sections. The areas approaching Walsall Town Centre and Wednesfield are particularly slow during
the morning and evening peaks and speed can be as low as less than 10 mph. The particular sections
on this route where average peak speeds are below 10 mph are as follows:

• A4038: St Lawrence Way to Avenue Road/Birmingham Street

• A462 Bilston Lane: Birmingham Street to B4464 Walsall Road

Junction Capacity Issues

There are currently five junctions along the route where the evidence suggest there
are capacity issues restricting the free flow of traffic in peak hours; these are:-

• A4038 Wednesbury Road/A4148 Bescot Road

• A4038 Walsall Road/A462 Darlaston Road
• A462 Trouse Lane/A461 High Bullen
• A462 Owen Road/A463 Armstrong Way
• A462 Cannock Road/A4124 Lichfield Road

6
 11

22 West Midlands
11 Key
Key Route Network BROWN HILLS
Roads The Route

Wednesfield to Wednesbury
10a
10a
Strategic Road Network
operated by Highways England

Environment, Flows and Flooding area

Junction Capacity
Congestion area

Junction capacity issue

Route Safety KSI hotspot zone – high

number of serious or fatal
incidents S TA F F O

M
Key Considerations Housing development area

6
Named site of strategic
importance

District and local centres

WEDNESFIELD

A462

10
10
WA L S A L L LICHFIELD

S TA F F O R D S H I R E
8

WA L S A L L
W O LV E R H A M P T O N
03

IKEA
A4

9 A4148
WEST

9
BROMWICH

B I L STO N DUDLEY

BIRMINGHAM

WA RW I C K S H I R E
M
6

8 77
WORCE STERSHIRE SOLIHULL

8
COVENTRY

WEDNE SBURY

7
Figure 3 KRN 21 – Wednesfield to Wednesbury

WEST K I N G S TA
 Improving Road Safety is critical to the overall
ROUTE SAFETY
vision of the West Midlands Strategic Transport
Plan – Movement for Growth. The development
of a new West Midlands Road Safety Strategy
and Action Plan will make reference to the
current West Midlands forecasts to achieve a
40% reduction in fatalities and serious injury
casualties by 2020, from the 2015 baseline.
During the 2016 calendar year, we noted the
following key statistics on this route:
Casualties
Collisions
• 61 collisions, involving 118 vehicles
• Main contributory factor: Failed to look properly (pedestrian) (15% of all collisions)
oo The Killed and Seriously Injured (KSI) ratio for this group is 11% with 17% of all slight
collisions being attributed to this group.
• Main contributory factors
oo Failed to look properly (driver) (11% of all collisions)
oo Poor turn or manoeuvre (8% of all collisions)
• Total casualties: 72
• Killed and Seriously Injured: 14
(19% of all casualties, down 2% when compared to 2015 figure of 7 of 34)
oo Killed: 0 (0% of all casualties, no variation from 2015)
oo Seriously injured: 14 (19% of all casualties, down by 2%)
• Slights: 58 (81% of all casualties)

Casualty Types
We noted the following key statistics in relation to casualties falling into specific groups:

• Pedestrians: 15 (a reduction of 17% compared to 2015)

• Powered Two wheel vehicles: 12 (a reduction of 4% compared to 2015)
• Pedal cyclists: 9 (an increase of 0.7% compared to 2015)
• Car occupants: 36 (an increase of 21% compared to 2015

KSI Clusters
There are a series of KSI clusters along the A4038 Walsall Road between the A41 and the A4148.
This section is mainly urban single carriageway in a built-up residential area.

8
 There is limited provision for cycling along most of the
CYCLING
A462 section of this route. There are advisory lanes on
carriageway and shared footpaths along the Midland
Road/Owen Road sections. The remaining section in
Walsall does not have any provision for cycling.

Along Darlaston Road in the Walsall bound direction,

there is a shared use footpath but residential parking
poses issues for access.

There is also limited provision for cycling in the

Sandwell section of the route.

9
 Although there are a number of bus services Table 3: Main Bus Routes
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
operating on the A462 section of this route,
these are discontinuous and infrequent in
nature and it is not well served. By contrast the Road(s) Served Frequency Route No.
A4038 section of the route is well served by a A4038/A462 Darlaston - Wednesbury Every 20 mins 79
number of high frequency bus services operating
every 10-20 minutes. These services provide A462 New Invention - Pool Hayes Every 30 mins 41
access to Walsall Town Centre, the local centre
at Darlaston, retail facilities including IKEA, A4038 Pleck - Moxley Every 20 mins 34
leisure destinations, employment sites and the
A462 Coppice Farm - New invention Every 30 mins 69
surrounding communities.
A4038 Pleck - Moxley Every 20 mins 37
The average bus speed along this route is
14.7mph (data taken from the 79 bus route). A4038 Pleck - Moxley Every 20 mins 39

The average total number of daily bus A4038 Pleck - Moxley Every 10 mins 334
trips is 19,829.
A462 New Invention - Shepwell Green Every 30 mins 326

The bus services on the A4038 are identified A462 Essington - New Invention Every 60 mins 71/71A
as part of the Core Bus Network in the West
Midlands Strategic Transport Plan – Movement A462 Shepwell Green - Darlaston Every 60 mins 303
for Growth but not identified for Sprint
investment. The A462 does not feature in the
*Note- All daily averages have been obtained by analysing 15 days data (Mon-Fri) during the month of March 2017.
core bus network.

There are no existing rail services along this

route. The Walsall to Wolverhampton freight
line passes through the corridor and the West
Midlands Strategic Transport Plan – Movement
for Growth proposes reintroducing passenger
rail services with new stations at Willenhall and
Darlaston.

There are no plans to extend Midland Metro

services in the corridor.

10
 The AADF data for 2016 has been used to analyse HGV
FREIGHT AND LOGISTICS
flows on each respective route. The average number of
HGVs using this route per day is 340, which constitutes
3% of all vehicles. The A462 from Walsall Road to
A4124 Lichfield Road experiences 500-750 HGV flows
per day. There are numerous industrial estates to the
south of the route such as Bescot Industrial Estate,
Woods Bank, Wednesbury Trading Estate and the Trade
Centre UK.

The route runs through Darlaston, where a number of

sites have been identified for development on both
sides of the M6 as part of the Black Country Enterprise
Zone led by the Black Country Local Enterprise
Partnership (LEP). The development sites aim ‘to
provide a custom and practice supply chain locality for
just in time delivery of critical engineering intensive
components for the advanced engineering sector’
(Black Country LEP Website). Therefore this route may
become more significant for freight in the near future.

11
 Resilience
NETWORK RESILIENCE AND INTERACTIONS
The route has parallel strategic roads in the
form of the M6, A460 and A34. There is a
considerable degree of resilience contained
within the Black Country network. However,
there is a lack of intermodal network
resilience due to the lack of rail based
transport on the route.
Given the existing capacity constraints in
the peaks in the Black Country network, a
restriction on any of the roads will have adverse
implications for journey times on the remainder
of this route and surrounding routes.
Diversion Route
Whilst not a signed diversion route, the A462
connects north to the M6 at Junction 11 and
consequently it is used as an alternative access
to M6 north when the section of the M6 south of
junction 11 is congested or when there are delays
on the Black Country Route leading to
M6 Junction 10.
Flooding
Flooding on this route impacts on the overall
performance, safety of road users and affects
the lives of those living in the vicinity. The
evidence gathered indicates that there are two
areas on this route that pose a flooding risk, on
the A462 and A4038 respectively.
12
22 11
BROWNHILLS
West Midlands Key
Key Route Network10a
10a Roads The Route

Wednesfield to Wednesbury Strategic Road Network

operated by Highways
England

Asset Location & Conditions CCTV

(where known & information
available) Automatic Number Plate
Recognition (ANPR) /
S TA F F O R
Journey Time Monitoring

M
System (JTMS) locations

6
WEDNESFIELD

A462
10
10

WA L S A L L
8
03
A4

LICHFIELD

A4148
B I L STO N 9
9 S TA F F O R D S H I R E

W O LV E R H A M P T O N
WA L S A L L SUT
COLD
M

WEST
6

BROMWICH

WEDNE SBURY
8
8 77 DUDLEY

BIRMINGHAM

WA RW I C K S H I R E

WEST
WORCE STERSHIRE SOLIHULL
COVENTRY

BROMWICH K I N G S TA N D I N G

G R E AT B A R R 13
Figure 4 KRN 21 – Wednesfield to Wednesbury
SEDGLEY

M
6
M5
 There are inequalities in health between the local
PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
authorities within the West Midlands – at local
authority level the lowest healthy life expectancy at
birth for men is 56.4 years, and the highest is 63.8
years. Amongst women the lowest is 59 years and
highest 67.9 years. Similarly there are inequalities in
healthy life expectancies within each local authority.
Closing this gap in health inequalities and increasing
the healthy life expectancy by 2030 is an objective of
the WMCA’s Strategic Economic Plan.

Both male and female healthy life expectancies are

in the lowest 25% of areas within the WMCA, along
the A4036 in between Darlaston and the Lichfield to
Wednesbury route, and are considerably lower than
the national average of 83. There are communities
with higher childhood obesity; particularly
communities close to the junction of the A462
and A4036.

The route falls within Walsall and Sandwell Air Quality

Management Areas (AQMAs), both of which are
declared for Nitrogen Oxide (NO2).

The West Midlands has significant air quality

problems. Every year there are between 2,000 and
2,400 deaths caused by air pollution. This is a huge
health issue for people in the region, increasing the
risk of lung disease and heart disease. There are parts
of our region where considerable action such as the
introduction of Clean Air Zones (CAZs) is required by
Government to improve air quality.

14
 Across the West Midlands the local authorities have
ASSET CONDITION
a statutory duty to maintain its highway network in a
safe condition. This also includes carrying out routine
maintenance of highway assets which could include
up to 12 specific groups. An Asset Management Plan is
produced which aims to ensure that any future issues
with the assets could be address in a proactive way.

Carriageway Condition
The carriageway across this route is in a good and safe
condition. Over the past five years there has been a
systematic planned programme of capital maintenance
carried out on the A462.

Footway Condition
The footway across the Wednesfield to Wednesbury
route is in a generally poor but safe condition. Some
sections have been part of a systematic planned
programme of capital maintenance.

Structures
There are no highway structures on the A462 of the
Wednesfield to Wednesbury route.

Refer to the Technical Annex for further details

on asset condition.

15
 Development proposals directly affecting this route
REGIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
Housing

• No significant proposals

Employment

• Keyway Retail Park 700 jobs (2025-30)

• Willenhall Sewerage Works 1,400 jobs (2025–30)

Development proposals indirectly affecting this route

Housing

• Portway Road 375 dwellings (2020–25)

Employment

• Wider Wednesbury Area 160 jobs (2017–20)

• Darlaston Enterprise Zone 7,000 jobs (2017–20)
• Former Moxley Tip 500 Jobs (2017–20)
• Wider Wednesbury Area 1,600 jobs (2020–25)
• Darlaston Enterprise Zone 800 jobs (2020–25)
• Former Moxley Tip 500 Jobs (2020–25)
• Wider Wednesbury Area 1,600 jobs (2025–30)
• Former Moxley Tip 500 Jobs (2025–30)

16
 Committed Transport Improvements
REGIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
(as outlined in Movement for Growth - 2026 Delivery Plan for Transport)

• No significant proposals.

17
 AADF – Annual average daily flow
GLOSSARY
AQMA – Air Quality Management Areas
DfT – Department for Transport
EDR – Emergency Diversion Route
HGV – Heavy Goods Vehicles
HLE – Healthy life expectancy
HS2 – High Speed Rail Two
JTMS – Journey Time Measurement Systems
KRN – Key Route Network
KSI – Killed or seriously injured
LE – Life expectancy
LEP – Local Enterprise Partnership
LSOA – Lower Layer Super Output Areas
MDST – MDS Transmodal
MSOA – Middle Layer Super Output Areas
PIA – Personal injury accidents
SRN – Strategic Road Network
STDEP – Sustainable Transport Delivery Excellence Programme
TfWM – Transport for the West Midlands
TCG – Tactical Co-ordination Group
UKTI – UK Trade and Investment
UTMC – Urban Traffic Management Control
VMS – Variable Message Sign
WM – West Midlands
WMCA – West Midlands Combined Authority

18
 AADF Data: National Cycle Routes, Sustrans: Childhood Obesity:
REFERENCES
AADF counts for A roads on each route: https://bit.ly/18FFBsT Public Health England. National Child
https://bit.ly/2fbapuc Measurement Programme data from 2012/13 to
2014/15, aggregated by MSOA. Published 2016
HS2 Connectivity Package:
https://bit.ly/2p3ocVV
Route Safety: HS2 Growth Strategy, Connectivity Programme.
Reported casualty and accident rates by urban GBSLEP. https://bit.ly/2woBqxp
and rural roads, road class, road user type, Younger Population:
severity and pedestrian involvement, Great ONS: 2011 Census aggregate data. Population
Average Speeds and Congestion Data:
Britain, 2015. aged 0-17, as a percentage of total population
West Midlands Strategic Highways Phase 2: by LSOA.
Key Route Network Definition and Outline
Committed Schemes: Performance. Produced by Mott Macdonald for
West Midlands Combined Authority. Movement West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority. Older Population:
for Growth: The West Midlands Strategic March 2016. ONS: 2011 Census aggregate data. Population
Transport plan. aged 65+, as a percentage of total population
by LSOA.
Route Safety:
West Midlands Strategic Cycle Department for Transport. Reported Road
Network: Casualties Great Britain, annual report: 2015. Living with a Disability:
https://bit.ly/2hrcIdb ONS: 2011 Census aggregate data. Households
West Midlands Combined Authority Board
with at least one person living with a disability,
Report, 20 January 2017, item 4.3 - Strategic
as a percentage of all households by LSOA.
Cycle Network Air Quality Management Areas:
https://bit.ly/2hrrCAi Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs, March 2017 AQMA Dataset. Unemployment:
Freight Information: https://bit.ly/2fEdulf ONS: 2011 Census aggregate data. No adults in
employment in household, as a percentage of all
MDS Transmodal Data. Provided in Confidence
households by LSOA.
for Midlands Connect Freight Study. Male and Female Healthy Life
Expectancy:
West Midlands Cycling Charter:
Enterprise Zones: Office for National Statistics. Life Expectancy
https://bit.ly/2xbg4oK
https://bit.ly/2uZLDTe (LE) and Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) at birth
https://bit.ly/2u7DCN1 for males by Middle Layer Super Output Areas
(MSOAs) in England, 2009 to 2013. Published
2015. https://bit.ly/2vwtxd1
Road Haulage Companies:
UK Trade & Investment Road Haulage Industry,
Midlands Hauliers. Provided in Confidence for
Midlands Connect Freight Study.
19