Local representatives call for greater priority for safety on Shropshire's roads
Local representatives are calling for a greater priority for safety on the roads of Shropshire where traffic speeds are above the national average.
New government statistics show that only eight council areas in England achieved faster speeds on A roads than Shropshire in 2015.
In 2015, statistics reveal that more than half the injuries on the county’s roads were on A roads (423 of 796 injuries). Nine people have been killed on the A49 in the last five years and 27 were seriously injured.
Kate King, Lib Dem candidate for Burnell in the May Shropshire Council elections, has joined Andy Boddington, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow North, in calling for improvements to safety on the A49. They think that we don’t need to drive any faster, we should concentrate on reducing deaths and cutting injuries.
Kate King says: “I live in Dorrington. The A49 passes straight through the middle of the village. A new pedestrian crossing has improved things but we still have problems. We have narrow pavements. It can be scary when big trucks go past, particularly for mothers with pushchairs. Drivers heading south speed up before the end of the 30mph speed limit, meaning they are speeding as they pass very narrow pavements leading to a new housing development. We are also concerned that lorries race through the village in the middle of the night.
“We need more measures to cut speeding and aggressive driving. We should put up signs at either end of Dorrington asking drivers to be considerate and take care when passing pedestrians on our narrow pavements.
“Ideally, we need wider pavements through the village.”
Andy Boddington says: “I am always hearing people moan about the slow speed of the A49 or the A5. These new statistics show that traffic is flowing faster in this county than most other areas of the country. The aim should not be to drive faster but to drive more safely. We need to cut the number of accidents on the A49 and other roads in the county.
“There have been several improvements to road safety, including reducing the speed limit through Bromfield village to 50mph. It has been shown across the country that reducing speed limits often leads to most drivers getting to their destination quicker. Lower speed limits also improve safety. We should make greater use of them on our county’s A roads.”
