Issued by Midlands Connect:

Average speeds at peak times drop by nearly a half in the morning rush hour between Hinckley and Tamworth, according to new research by transport body Midlands.

Analysis shows the route sees a drop of 44% in average speeds in the AM peak, between 6am and 10am compared to off peak journey times. The average speed on the route is 48 miles per hour, dropping to around 32 MPH during peak periods. It can dip down as low as 10 miles per hour in some locations.

There were 180 road traffic incidents on this section of the A5 from 2017 to 2021, with 45 in the year 2019 and one in five of these (20%) resulted in ‘serious’ injuries to one or more people.

The corridor is one of the Midlands’ most important east-west connections and is at the heart of the “Logistics golden triangle” bounded by the M1, M6 and M69. This is an area of the country from which drivers can reach 90% of the population within four hours, a very important location for logistics firms.

Integrated Transport Programme Lead, Swati Mittal said:

The A5 corridor is home to a million people, sitting at the heart of the so-called Logistics Golden Triangle and supports major employment sites such as Magna Park and MIRA. Anything we can do to upgrade the route is vital for residents, commuters and businesses in the area.

With improvements, Midlands Connect believes the route has the potential to provide an alternative route to our congested motorways and support significant housing and employment growth.

Sarah Edwards, Member of Parliament for Tamworth said:

Fixing our roads is a priority and plays a major part in our economic productivity and development. We must get our road networks fit for purpose.

The A5 plays a crucial role for commuters across the West Midlands, my constituents in Tamworth included, and it is important that appropriate funding and support is made available to ensure it can keep delivering for residents. I have written to the Secretary of State for Transport to ensure investment in road infrastructure supports our constituency and its prospects for growth.

Bill Cullen CEO of Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council and chair of the executive of the A5 Partnership said:

What these findings demonstrate is that the A5 continues to be a significant route through the Midlands, but we must unlock the blockages with key road investment in priority areas of the corridor to ensure it continues to support economic growth and remains fit for purpose.

Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: 

While the A5 is managed and maintained by National Highways, we fully support the work being done to secure improvements.

As the highway authority, we know problems such as bridge strikes, congestion and accidents are having a detrimental impact for our residents throughout Hinckley as well as the villages in the south of the county. The A5 isn’t functioning, and we share the views of partners who are calling for improvements to be prioritised and additional funding made available.

Securing and delivering improvements on the A5 also resonates with the core themes to our draft new Local Transport Plan, which include supporting growth and boosting the local economy, improving people’s health and reducing the impacts of traffic on our communities. The urgent need is there to improve the road.

Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for strategic highways Mark Deaville said:

Improved connectivity is a priority to the county council and the A5 corridor is a key east/west route in the south. The M42 junction is particularly busy and congested at peak times which we hope can be addressed. As a centre for the logistics sector, especially with the development of the West Midlands Interchange, we need effective and efficient transport routes to help grow our economy. This route also supports our visitor economy particularly with attractions like Drayton Manor Park and the National Memorial Arboretum. We wholeheartedly support any moves to upgrade the corridor and remove obstacles to growth.

About Midlands Connect

Midlands Connect is the transport partner of the Midlands Engine, and the Midlands’ Sub-national Transport Body.

Midlands Connect researches, develops and champions long-term transport projects which will provide the biggest possible economic, social and environmental benefits for the Midlands and the rest of the UK.

We examine every option for improving major transport infrastructure in our region. The fundamental aim of these improvements is to transform regional and UK gateways, bringing the Midlands closer together and accelerating cost-effective improvements to unlock east-west connectivity that will enable the Midlands’ economies to work more effectively together.
Our 25-year transport strategy for the region has the potential to add £5 billion a year to the UK economy, supporting the work of the Midlands Engine partnership to drive pan-regional economic prosperity.

Our partnership is made up of 22 local authorities, nine Local Enterprise Partnerships, East Midlands and Birmingham airports, and chambers of commerce stretching from the Welsh border to the Lincolnshire coast. The partnership also includes the Department for Transport, Network Rail, Highways England and HS2 Ltd, who we work alongside to drive an unprecedented level of collaboration for the good of the Midlands and the UK.

Download the Midlands Connect Strategy, as well as its latest reports. For more information on the Midlands Engine partnership