Call to rip out Shrewsbury Smithfield Road refuge
Thursday 27th January 2011, 5:00PM GMT.
A new central reservation in Shrewsbury should be ripped out because it is dangerous, causing traffic chaos and a “complete waste of money”, it was claimed today.
Councillor Peter Nutting said he would ask fellow members of Shrewsbury Town Council to demand an urgent review into the pedestrian crossing in Smithfield Road.
He today claimed that pressure needed to be put on Shropshire Council to remove the pedestrian refuge – less than six months after it was installed.
The councillor said he was going to ask the town council at the next full council meeting to ask Shropshire Council to review whether the crossing – which was installed as part of the £1.8m Cycle Shrewsbury project – should be there.
He added: “I believe it’s dangerous and it slows traffic down causing congestion on the Welsh Bridge and it backs up to Copthorne Road where it’s starting to affect residents in my area.
“I don’t believe it serves any useful purpose. It’s in a position where pedestrians don’t naturally cross. The whole thing has been a complete waste of public money.”
Taxi drivers have previously claimed it was unsafe and damaging business.
But Richard Harman, for Shropshire Council, claimed at the time that the crossing had been trialled in the summer and was shown to have “limited impacts” on traffic.
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Would some consultation with the tax paying public not have avoided all of this. The thing is an utter farce
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The person who came up with this waste of money chicane should be sacked and mage to pay the wated money back. When will the folk at shropshire council get their act together.
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It’s a small pedestrian refuge in a 30mph zone, for heaven’s sake! It makes it much easier for pedestrians to cross – now they only have to wait for a gap in the traffic stream in one direction. Before it was built, pedestrians had to wait for a gap in both directions – and often had to take a chance in a fairly iffy situation.
If Peter Nutting is so concerned about traffic safety in the town centre, might I suggest that he demands an ‘urgent review’ into the 90 degree turn at the junction of Roushill with Raven Meadows? The road layout there really is an accident waiting to happen
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Why do pedestrians need to cross at this point on Smithfield Rd ?? and as for “‘urgent review’ into the 90 degree turn at the junction of Roushill with Raven Meadows? The road layout there really is an accident waiting to happen”…. How long has this corner been like this? feel free to share the accident figures to back-up your opinion.
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What ever happened to thinking through plans before spending vast sums of OUR money???
This is the mindset of our politicians and I despair!
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About time too !
Why not start an online petition to gather the opinion of those affected by this silly project that has done nothing but cause even more congestion than there was before.
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Can I have a refund on my council tax now please?
If there is so much excess that it has to be spent on danger, sorry, safety measures like this, couldnt we just put up no entry signs at every possible entry to the town centre, and finish off those lazy, good for nothing traders for ever!
Just think how peaceful the town would be without them! Surely people will flock here from around the world to visit our ghost town?
By the way, watch out if you do visit,…… certain areas of the town may explode at any moment! These things happen! No-ones fault in particular, so don’t worry!
Rob
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Yet another council blunder causing even more congestion on Smithfield Road after shelving the north/west relief road and more money wasted to boot !!!
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theres a band wagon, jump on mr nutting
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If he went public with his opposition before the project got going, it would have sounded more genuine then a few months before local elections.
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Cllr Nutting should have tried cycling along Smithfield Road prior to the installation of the island. It slows down the traffic and makes the road safer. After all, it was installed to make it easier to cycle in the town centre
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ph7 said:
After all, it was installed to make it easier to cycle in the town centre
I call that specious.
Got any evidence to a) support such a comment and b) substantiate the casualties that made that stretch of road dangerous for cyclists prior to the building of the island.
Ta.
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of course they have evidence winja or they wouldnt have built it you need a full traffic study and cost benefit analysis to do anything in the world of highways these days
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well the council workers not that busy this time year, so they will spend next 2 months undoing what they did last summer keeps them in a job and keeps the council wating tax payers money.
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The crossing was “trialled in the summer”?
Would this have co-incided with school holidays? If so, the reduction in traffic due to no school runs may have been the reason there was a “limited impact”.
With queues now stretching as far back as the Beacon pub in Copthorne on most afternoons, ‘limited impact’ doesnt seem such an appropriate assessment of traffic flows does it?
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Mr Nutting actually voted in favour of putting it in…..
So this is a bit of a turn around isn’t it. Check back to previous articles and his comments. Why is he changing his tune all of a sudden???
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Has anyone asked the taxi drivers to explain how it “harms” their business?Ot is it just another routine comment trotted out that nobody challenges. As usual, something new is tried in Shrewsbury and it’s met with barrage of moaning. I’ve never known a town like it.
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I like that “Councillor Nutting should get on his bike” comment.
Wasn’t that a famous ditty from Tebbit back n the Thatcherland period?
Nutting seems to only wish to represent car drivers in this scenario.
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it would be far more waste ful to rip it out before proper monitoring and evaluation, i know there have been initial complaints, but i bet in a years time it will have worked in terms of traffic
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Typical council wasting money on ways to make the roads more dangerous and cause conjestion by forcing every one into one lane insted of the two lane before , did the council even think of any other ways that could do the same job but cause less conjestion ? like pedestrian control trafic lights ?. that way there would still be two lanes and any one that wants to cross there (i have not seen any one yet) can still do so safely , and it should not cause any more conjestion than there was before they put the crossing in
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Can the council actually employ people who know how to THINK before implementing daft ideas, in the future…they get paid enough, surely common sense should be on their CV somewhere???
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why is something called ‘common’ (as in sense) when its apparently so rare especially in local government? This obstruction was tested, the public were consulted – they said they didn’t want it so the council went ahead and built it anyway – the council is there to serve who exactly?
Wait for the next obstruction due to be built on the English Bridge – more chaos!
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Personally I see nothing wrong with it all the moaners are the ones who drive in the right lane then dive across to the left lane causing more problems and it helps pedestrians.
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I expect that was one of the reasons for installing it Mike.
Accidents recorded on that stretch will also have been taken into consideration.
Could you make comments that actually say something useful or interesting for a change roadrunner?
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What’s the footfall along either side there? Very light almost certainly. Why would you cross there anyway? To look into the foliage or at a dull tempory hoarding? Either the responsible ‘consultant’ should be asked to hand his/her fee back or their equivalent in the Highways Dept be dropped down a notch on the greasy pole.
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“Accidents recorded on that stretch will also have been taken into consideration.”
Is this actual fact or more speculation on your part , Eva?
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So, Eva, you don’t consider common sense and the ability to think would help in the council highways dept. then?
Don’t tell me that you work there…it would explain a lot.
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It is part of a long term strategy to improve this part of our river frontage and reconnect it with the town because it has been cut off from the town by an unfortunately very busy road.
Historically of course it was the livestock market, thronging with people and farm animals.
The number of accidents and incidents with traffic will have had some influence and the recent worthy attempts here and countrywide to establish safer cycle routes.
I used to cross over there when attending the Gateway which is a horrible place to access as a pedestrian.
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wasnt councillor peter nutting in charge of spending and property at shropshire council until last year, so basically probably involved with this at some stage?
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