Roadworks that have brought the centre of Shrewsbury to a standstill have been branded “utter chaos” and “hell” by a councillor worried about its effects on town centre businesses.
The comments were made during a discussion at a Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council cabinet meeting last night on work being planned to extend the Barker Street car park and realign the road, which could cost up to £600,000.
Councillors were asked to vote to pay for the work only on receipt of a certificate to say it had been completed, rather than in advance.
Councillor Judith Williams said she was in agreement with the proposal, but was more concerned on the effect the work would have on businesses, following on from the work currently taking place in the town centre.
“What was going on today was ‘how to create utter chaos’,” she said.
“I don’t know how much more the town traders can actually take this.”
And Shropshire motorists faced further rush-hour chaos today after an accident on the outskirts of Shrewsbury at about 7am.
The non-injury accident, between the Dobbies Island and the Emstrey Island, involved a yellow and black Volvo articulated lorry and a white Iveco-Ford tipper lorry. One side of the carriageway was blocked until just before 9am.
24 Comments
A minor traffic problem is hardly hell. Park and Ride anyone?
Why on earth can’t these roadworks take place at night as did much of the work at ‘dobbies’ island did?
A minor traffic problem? Ask the bus drivers trying to access town yesterday (both Park & Ride and Arriva services).
This is a disaster for the town, and walking through the centre today it was extremely quiet - pity those poor businesses losing their trade hand over fist.
It is not just the town centre that was affected - a journey which takes five minutes usually from Harlescott to Heathgates took over half an hour yesterday afternoon. The council need to look at what they are doing to the town and not follow half baked pedestrianisation schemes that clearly don’t benefit the people or businesses.
Thanks for the traffic trial to all you lazy civil servants!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it sounds like every bus route goes via our office and it’s true….buses to come in 3s and its incredibly annoying……
plus why no left turn out of kingsland bridge???????????????????????
They’ve totally screwed the pooch with this one. There was very little notice given of all of these changes, roadsigns weren’t put up well in advance.
Hell, to my knowledge there STILL isn’t a “New Road Layout” ahead sign on the road towards Wyle Cop/Town Walls off the English Bridge, despite traffic now coming in a completely different direction down Town Walls (and possibly being very confusing).
and can we ask judith williams what she is doing to encourage all non essential cars to use shrewsbury’s excellent park and ride facilities, s and a usual hot air and arrant nonsense
Another fine mess youv’e got us into SABC.
I cannot understand how a local authority can effectively close down a major town centre - lets hope that once shrewsbury and atcham council is no more that we can have the town open again.
p.s I will save money this month because we cannot get to the shops anymore….
try going round.
if you’re going to comment, please direct them at the right place. SABC DOESN’T DO TRAFFIC
The Towns traffic system is fragile enough without all this nonsense! do the work at night like “listen to me” says
When the architect of this traffic experiment sobers up perhaps he/she can come up with a formula for compensating business’s for lost revenue.
At least this is temporary chaos. Pity us lot in Telford who have to negotiate the Trench Block Interchange after it “re-engineering”
I know of one local woman who was 2 months pregnant at the time of entering the interchange, trying to turn right from Donnington towards Shawbirch. She gave birth to a healthy boy as she passed the last exit.
Oh come on now - what’s the matter with everyone ?
Anyone with a grain of “nouse” would know quite well that Shrewsbury is not a viable destination for “shopping” anymore - (or any other commercial venture really)
The “meddlers” put the lid on all that years ago - the time it takes to get anything done in Shrewsbury Town centre is now far more than it is worth.
I personally stopped using Shrewsbury many years ago - don’t shop, don’t eat, drink, entertain - or anything else…there are many far easier ways to get things done these days.
Haven’t we seen it all before though ? don’t see why anyone is at all surprised….
I have a brother with a town centre business though - he’s hopping mad about all this - it’s tough enough trying to make a business work - without this sort of thing - and all for a “long-standing objective of the council and its many stakeholders”
More like a “long standing objective” of “the few” - to the detriment of the many….
As rightly said, this is down to Shropshire County Council and NOT SABC so if you have any complaints direct them in the right direction and not an authority that provides excellent services for its residents and visitors. When all the local authorities merge next year and SABC is not in existance anymore maybe people may well think ” It wasnt the right decision to merge the local authoroties”.
The comments of si nickle are perhaps the most relevant and valid concerning any subject or debate that this forum has seen for a long long time.
The sad fact is however that unlike private business the ostriches that are well hidden within the ‘beaurocastles’ of Shropshire County Council and Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council are not in reality answerable for the catastophic, ill advised and irreversible decisions that they have consistently made for years.
And yes si nickle you (& your brother)are oh so right Shrewsbury is indeed a spent cause and a place that following a visit to the town the late great Sir John Harvey-Jones (who as a troubleshooter ripped Shropshire Area Health Authority up) described as a ‘a beautiful place with huge potential but sadly with its poor overall local authority management going to die in the not too distant future.’
Oh my - what a revelation - I am not the only one - I had resigned myself to being the one & only person left that thinks the way I do - now I know there are at least 2 of us ?
(As XPHSTO said: Apr 9th, 2008 at 2:47 pm)
I will correct a couple of points if I may…
‘beaurocastles’ of Shropshire County Council and Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council.
“are not in reality answerable”
“catastophic, ill advised and irreversible decisions that they have consistently made for years.”
Those 2 statements stand quite well on there own.
Now don’t get me wrong - I do like Shrewsbury - I was born here and have remained here (for my well over 50 years) - because I like the area - and I did quite like Shrewsbury - until “those responsible” decided that they needed to change it in to something that it is not.
Shrewsbury used to be a small Medieval Market town - with a majority of old Medieval Buildings, Streets, and most importantly, (for me at least) - a “small town” character.
I find it hard to understand the reasoning behind many of the “enhancements” of the past few years - If I wanted to live in a “city” - I would move to one - not build one on my own doorstep.
Of course - progress is imperative - we do need the income that all the “new” shops provide - if only to pay the running expenses (and salaries / pensions) of “those responsible” - and not forgetting the many consultants and advisors.
I would venture to say that a lot of that expense could be spared by asking the people who live here - but then - that would never do - it would not cost anything - and would probably not return the “hoped for” answers.
Mind you - it would be silly not to spend the money if it’s in the budget - wouldn’t it ?
Iwould like to add, now that a few days have passed that Shropshire County Council now owe me approximately 5.5 hours which I have wasted this week sat in inerminable traffic queues on my way to work - both in my car AND in the Park & Ride bus. I tried to get to Harlescott to catch the Park & Ride bus but it is quicker to drive into town than get to the car park for this service. The only good thing to come out of this nightmare is the improvement to the junction at St Julian Friars/Wyle Cop as I have been asking the council to improve this for years!!
As a small business owner on St Mary’s street, the change within town is already biting. Can we survive? I hope so but its going to be very difficult as trade has been declining since Christmas. Shrewsbury is a ghost town. Maybe we should build a shop on the A5/A49 bypass as that is where all the people seem to be, by passing Shrewsbury!
I agree, why not just close this at night? It took me 25 minutes yesterday morning to travel from by the Firestation to Heathgates roundabout a distance of half a mile (was driving to work in Telford or would have walked).
Also.. don’t get me started on the silly people who block all the junctions / roundabouts which just makes traffic even worse!!!
Was it really worth all this chaos just to mess about with a few paving slabs? I just hope nobody in Greenfields needs an ambulance to the Royal Shrewsbury in the next 7 weeks. You’ll be in for a marathon journey!
Work on the roads at night? Just imagine what the town centre residents association would have to say about that!
‘no listen to me said: Apr 8th, 2008 at 2:06 pm Thanks for the traffic trial to all you lazy civil servants!!!!!!!!!!!!!’
On a point of accuracy, the Home Civil Service is a governmental organisation - council workers (whether SABC or Shropshire County Council) are not Civil Servants, they are council workers.
Civil Servants work for organisations such as HM Revenue and Customs, the Home Office, the DWP etc.
I live in Shrewsbury and agree that it is utter chaos. Problem is we all sit back and take it! 2 hours to get an elderly relative from Frankwell to Coton Hill is unacceptable. All of US are to blame we have allowed our old town to be systematically destroyed. I never shop in town, I go to Birmingham on the train or Telford - it is quicker than getting from Frankwell to Coton Hill. Park and Ride you’re having a laugh Park and Hide I call it - no one sees us - who cares!! Last Park and Ride I used from Meole took me 1.5 hours to get into Shrewsbury. I did not bother to shop just walked back because it was quicker than shopping then getting another bus. I drive to Wellington, free car park for the train, then go to Birmingham. IT IS SO EASY. Shrewsbury is finished. Thanks to our councillors.