400 sign petition to improve road safety in Shropshire village

Residents in Quatford and road safety campaigners want a better footpath and improved lighting on the A442, the main road between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster as it runs through the village.

They have handed over the petition to officials at Shropshire Council in the hope action will be taken in the near future.

It comes after Russell Nicholls died on the road a year ago after being knocked down by a car on the same stretch of road he had been injured on six years earlier. Geoffrey and Gillian Venn also died in June after their car left the road and hit a tree.

Residents in Quatford Park Home and surrounding areas say the village sees an increase in visitors during the summer months because of nearby caravan sites. They fear accident could happened along the busy A442 if improvements are not carried out.

Kathryn Lowe, who works at the Danery Pub, said: "The main caravan sites nearby mean that in the summer season there is an increase to the amount of pedestrians wishing to cross or walk alongside the road.

"There is currently a bus stop on one side of the road, with no clear or lit access and a lack of lighting means that cars on this A-road are unable to see possible pedestrians crossing or wishing to cross the road."

Councillor William Parr, Shropshire councillor for Bridgnorth East and Astley Abbotts, said action needed to be taken immediately.

He said: "This bus stop has no footpath to it and, especially in the dark, residents can trip into the road with horrendous consequences.

"The home park community, which numbers hundreds, has no footpath, pedestrian crossing or lighting on the main road.

"This section of the road has a dark record of fatalities where every year someone is killed or injured.

"We consider this petition is about common sense and action must be taken now."

No-one from Shropshire Council was available to comment.