Residents call for lower speed limits
Tuesday 12th January 2010, 11:05AM GMT.
People living in a Shropshire market town are demanding tighter speed limits and for existing curbs to be more strictly enforced.
The call comes from people living in Much Wenlock who claim speeding motorists cause a continuous problem.
Angry residents say the town is facing serious problems from speeding, parking and noise from traffic. They say the town is not designed to cope with modern-day traffic.
The claim its historic character is being destroyed.
Tish Farrell, editor of website Wenlock Eye, said speeding was a common problem in Much Wenlock and Bridgnorth. “It will continue to be a problem until speed limits in communities are reduced, regularly enforced and drivers warned of their potentially dangerous behaviour,” she said.
Ms Farrell said the problem was worse in Much Wenlock because of its narrow streets and the close proximity of houses to the edge of the road surface.
She claimed some roads were not wide enough for two lorries to pass without encroaching on house fronts or mounting pavements.
Last year Shropshire Council fitted bollards in some streets to protect pedestrians from trucks and instal- led speed warning signs.
“While residents are grateful for these measures it is a sad fact that they do not deter 25 per cent of habitual road users who are determined to drive too fast past homes, schools and hospitals,” said Ms Farrell.
She added: “Many residents want the police to be trained to use speed guns.”
Shropshire Council principal engineer Alice Dilly said traffic calming measures would be introduced shortly on the A458 in the town.
“Measures have also been introduced over the past 18 months on Sheinton Street to discourage vehicles from speeding along this narrow road,” she said.
“Improvements included interactive signs on both approaches highlighting the narrow road, interactive speed signs on both approaches to the school and bollards on the pavements.”
She added: “We are not aware of any further requests for additional measures, however we will consider any that are received.”
By Brett Gibbons
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They could make certain roads in the centre for pedestrians only,such as the bottom part of the High Street. But this would only work if more car parking is made available.
I lived in Wenlock a while ago and traffic will always be a problem for a town not designed for motor transport.
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Lived there for a while traffic is and always has been a problem. Build a large carpark up by the school pay and display. Ban all traffic from going through the centre Of I know it is a town but lets face it , it is on par realy with a village. traffic lights take traffic through the bottom end of the town from one side to the other.
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If you don’t like it then don’t live there – it was the same forty years ago!
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it’s a good job we don’t all share KarenK’s sentiments – seems she would just leave every truck in the country to, plus trucks from all over Europe to run rough shod over every British town. What’s more important, Karen, a multi million pound transport industry making a few more million by taking short cuts along unsuitable country roads and putting lives and property at risk or a certain quality of life we deserve and should demand? What ever happened to reducing the carbon footprint? Stick the loads these trucks are carrying on to the railways, we don’t want them running through Wenlock, or any other town come to that. Alice Dilly needs to speak to our local MP, Philip Dunne who has promised to ‘push’ for a weight restriction on the A4169, a road which is totally unsuitable for the heavy vehicles that are currently allowed to use it. What the Shropshire Star fails to mention is that all of the ‘improvements’ cited by Alice Dilly have been as the result of lobbying and hard fought campaigns by local residents sometimes in the face of ludicrous counter arguments and delaying tactics by the authorities. My solution? Simple – implement the law as it stands – prosecute speeding motorists without exception, install cameras to catch the culprits. Introduce a weight restriction on the A4169 between Wenlock and Buildwas, forcing HGVs to use the trunk roads and motorways that the taxpayer has provided for them – prosecute without exception drivers who flought the restriction. Prosecute drivers who drive on the pavement. The excuse that the police do not have the resources does not hold up – it is their job to uphold the law – if law breaking is brought to their attention, they are duty bound to do something about it.
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Sheinton Street is not fit for purpose. On Wed 13th Jan I joined stationary traffic in Sheinton street. Soon the traffic (towards Telford) was moving back on itself. This while cars were coming down New Road heading for the reversing traffic. I thought there might be a problem caused by traffic travelling in opposite directions on the same side of the road, especially as cars often do more than 30 down New Road. The ‘jam’itself was due to two long lorries trying to pass each other halfway along the narrow stretch of the street. The only way that the lorries could pass was for one of them to reverse to a point where it could mount the pavement and give the required clearance. I have to reat that this road is not fit for purpose. The problem will only be solved when either there is a lorry ban or a relief road to take traffic away from the town. The need for a relief road was identified and plans to build one were established more than twenty years ago. If there was a need then there certainly is a need now!
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