Oswestry Councillor accuses Shropshire Council of “jumping the gun” on parking restriction consultation
Oswestry Lib Dem Councillor James Owen has described his bemusement at a Shropshire Council consultation that will be running until March 13th given that the line painting and new signage has already been put in place.
The consultation, which opened on 20th February, is seeking input on “The introduction of single yellow line waiting restrictions and loading restrictions Monday to Friday 7.30am to 9.30am and 2.30pm to 4.00pm will allow the free movement of vehicles in this location improving the amenities and road safety of all road users.”.
However, Councillor Owen feels that, as the work on Cabin Lane has already been completed, Shropshire Council has already decided the outcome and is instead holding this consultation purely for legal purposes, rather than actually caring what residents and taxpayers of the area think of the new restrictions.
Councillor James Owen, Lib Dem candidate for Oswestry North East said:
"The issue with antisocial parking near schools at the start and end of the day is one that is faced outside almost every school in the county. This parking can often lead to dangerous situations for pedestrians, especially school children, every day.
“Having spoken to residents in the area, the real change they want to see is the introduction of pedestrian crossings on or near the roundabout to allow safe access for pedestrians, not blanket restrictions that will push the issue onto nearby residential streets as seen near Woodside School.
“What is even more ridiculous is that Shropshire Council are clearly jumping the gun on this change, as they have already painted the new lines and put the signage up, despite the consultation having only just started. This means that any changes or a reversal of the decision will now cost more money to implement. They could have just waited.
“At a time when Shropshire Council is struggling financially, they should not be spending taxpayers money on a change that, before the consultation ends, should not have even been made yet. It opens them up to having to waste more to remedy a situation. This is typical of the current administration who only listens to residents after having already wasted their money. This has to stop.”
