New walking and cycling routes to Shrewsbury town centre officially opened
A new scheme to improve walking and cycling connections in Shrewsbury town centre, completed as part of the improvement works at the Raven Meadows junction of Smithfield Road, officially opened today.
As well as better access for walkers and cyclists travelling across the town, the improvements result in quicker access to the bus station for bus traffic, straighter traffic lanes through the junction when travelling towards the rail station, and improved traffic signal control to help reduce congestion.
The work, a joint initiative from Shropshire Council and Sustrans, is part of a wider Connect2 project in the town connecting communities to the west and north of the town centre, providing safe and direct walking and cycling routes linking to schools, workplaces, shops, and the railway and bus stations.
Councillor Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for transport, said:
“It’s great that this work has now been completed and I’m sure these new routes will make a big difference to people walking and cycling across the town.
“Smithfield Road is a major traffic through-route in Shrewsbury, so the project was carefully planned to ensure there would be minimal disruption to traffic during the day.”
Andrew Bannerman, Shropshire Councillor for Quarry and Coton Hill, said:
“The contractor and their workers have pulled out all the stops to finish this work before the Christmas rush. I hope everyone will appreciate the improvements to this busy junction – particularly pedestrians, cyclists and bus passengers.”
The official opening, was made by Shropshire Councillors Simon Jones, Andrew Bannerman and Tony Durnell, Mayor of Shrewsbury.
