A SAFETY-MINDED Catshill resident wants cash earmarked for traffic calming measures ploughed into the village if no-one else wants it.

Pete Thorpe, of Wildmoor Lane, is making a bid for £30,000 which is set to be used for speed bumps, a chicane system and roundabout in Broad Street, in Bromsgrove.

It is part of the safer routes to school initiative.

But traders there fear the plans will kill their livelihoods and felt the measures were too extreme -- 'like using a sledgehammer to crush a walnut.'

Mr Thorpe said he is fed up with speeding drivers using Catshill as a rat-run to the motorways just to avoid bottlenecks.

He claims something needs to deter cars from coming through the village and a chicane system, which would force drivers to change direction, is one solution.

Mr Thorpe said: "These measures are evident in France, Spain, Germany and Holland and are successful.

"We need something to stop selfish drivers who are putting villagers at risk and if Broad Street doesn't want the cash then Catshill could certainly use it.

"We have some traffic calming measures but they are not enough."

Highways Partnership manager Jon Fraser said: "We are looking into other initiatives for Catshill.

"The £30,000 has to be spent in Broad Street because it is linked to Sidemoor First School which is there."