Shropshire Star

End of road for Shropshire roundabout blamed for accidents

A mini roundabout blamed for causing accidents in the south of Shropshire could be removed following a campaign.

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The junction near Tenbury Hospital on the A456 in Burford is likely to be changed, Shropshire councillor for Clee Hill Richard Huffer today claimed.

It comes after a number of accidents over the past 12 months sparked campaigns from local councillors who thought the roundabout was doing more damage than it was helping to control traffic.

Councillor Huffer said: "I've knocked on almost every door in Burford in the last few weeks and the overwhelming opinion of residents is that this mini-roundabout is dangerous. Cars emerging from Foresters Road are at serious risk of collision as traffic on the A456 just ignore the roundabout.

"There have been several accidents, including write-offs, countless near misses since it was put in and it hasn't reduced the speed of traffic one jot.

"We met with officers from the highways department the other day and I'm glad to report that they have agreed to remove the roundabout some time before the end of the year."

The junction is listed in Shropshire Council's financial strategy for the year 2016/17 as part of the Highway and Transport Capital Programme, with a budget of £20,000 set aside for highway improvement schemes.

Councillor Huffer said highways officers had agreed that altering the roundabout would not help, and instead agreed to get rid of it.

He said: "They had come to the same conclusion as ourselves that it simply wasn't working and actually posed a danger to the public. They also agreed that no amount of tinkering with the layout could improve matters. Furthermore, the officers have identified some more cash to carry out some traffic calming measures in the village and will come back with suggestions shortly."

The roundabout was brought in following consultation on how Shropshire Council could reduce speed in the village. And while the speed limit has been brought down, Councillor Huffer claimed more needs to be done to help other areas of the village deal with the ongoing problems.

He said: "While this is welcome news it won't completely solve the problem of speeding through the village.

"At my request, the parish have written to the Road Safety Partnership to have the area designated an 'Area of Community Concern' which will allow the police to operate speed camera vans in the village. This has proved really successful in other parts of Shropshire."

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