More than a month after our first visit, the Express & Star returned to Booths Lane to find out whether anything had changed on the controversial stretch of road where speed bumps were installed despite a surface riddled with potholes.
When we first visited in May 2026, residents questioned why new traffic-calming measures had been fitted before the road itself had been properly repaired.
Among those critical was Tony Farmer, owner of Tony Scissors Hair Studio and the longest-serving trader on Booths Lane. Standing on one section of the road, Tony counted four potholes that had been left untouched while new speed bumps had been laid.
At the time, Birmingham City Council defended its approach, saying road defects are assessed using a risk matrix to prioritise repairs based on safety. The authority said the speed bumps formed part of a separate traffic-calming scheme and were not linked to its routine highway maintenance programme.
Read our story here: 'It’s a joke': Residents vent frustration after speed bumps added to pothole-ridden West Midlands road
From our latest visit in July 2026, very little appears to have improved. The potholes that drew criticism during our first visit remain, with no obvious signs of significant repair work having taken place.
See our images of the road from May 2026, which remain the same four weeks later:
1. There are still noticeable potholes on Booths Lane
Booths Lane, Great Barr | Martyn Greswolde/Express & Star
2. The new speed bumps that were laid over the pothole-ridden road still remain
Booths Lane, Great Barr | Martyn Greswolde/Express & Star
3. One man said that the potholes in the road hadn't slowed down cars in the area
Booths Lane, Great Barr | Martyn Greswolde/Express & Star
4. We first visited the road at the end of May 2026, in July it seems as though nothing had changed
Booths Lane, Great Barr | Martyn Greswolde/ Express & Star