Shropshire Star

Traffic-calming call on Shrewsbury 'rat run' lane

A plea has been made for traffic-calming measures along a busy road in Shrewsbury which is due to be affected by major new housing developments in the next few years.

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People living on and near Racecourse Lane are asking Shropshire Council to give "urgent consideration" to putting in the road safety measures before hundreds of new homes are built.

Drivers are also being urged to stick to the speed limits along the road, especially when passing Oxon Primary School.

The issues were discussed at a Local Joint Committee meeting for the Bowbrook, Copthorne and Radbrook areas.

Residents raised their concerns that planned new housing developments on sites which are close to the road would add to the existing traffic problems in which Racecourse Lane is used as a "rat run" by drivers travelling through Shrewsbury.

In addition to the primary school, the site is already home to a GP surgery and it is also near to an ambulance hub on the Oxon Business Park.

Developments which could add to traffic on the road in the near future include more than 200 homes on the former Shelton Hospital site, as well as the first phase of the Shrewsbury West urban extension which could see almost 300 houses built on land lying off the Welshpool Road.

Outline planning permission has already been granted for 425 new houses in the nearby Mytton Oak Road area.

Karen Pearce, who lives on the lane, said there were already problems with speeding drivers there.

She said the meeting had also been told that the police currently consider the lane to be a risk.

Council officers were asked to look into the prospect of implementing traffic calming measures along the route in order to slow vehicles down.

Mrs Pearce said she hoped police would be encouraging drivers to reduce their speeds and stick to 20mph close to Oxon School where there is no pavement.

She said she is concerned about what effect potential housing developments will have.

"It is unacceptable now," she said.

"These developments are supposed to be sustainable.

"That is the key to it all."

She said the issue of traffic on Racecourse Lane was just one which needed to be considered by planners, along with the impact on the number of people using hospital services in Shrewsbury.

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