Shropshire fire chief 'concerned' about Shrewsbury gyratory's impact on traffic after tragic fatal house fire
Shropshire’s fire chief has written to a council with suggestions about Shrewsbury’s controversial gyratory road system, following a fatal fire in the town centre.
The county’s top firefighter sent his letter to Shropshire Council on Wednesday morning (February 18) with ideas about changes that could be made and a possible pot of Government money.
He referred to a major fire in the town centre last month that resulted in the death of 81-year-old Dorothy Rose Roberts.
“The gyratory system did not on this occasion have an impact on our response times to the incident in Castle Street,” said chief fire officer Simon Hardiman.
“That was at 3.30am but we as a service would be concerned if it happened in the middle of the day or at 4pm.”
Mr Hardiman said that recent changes in the traffic light phasing has made a difference and improved vehicle flows.
But he added that at times the traffic backs up from under a railway bridge to well past the town’s St Michael’s Street fire station and county HQ, making it harder to navigate the fastest route into the town centre.
In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) Mr Hardiman said a “Green Wave” system which automatically changes traffic lights to green to allow emergency vehicles through is one idea he would recommend.
Mr Hardiman added that Shropshire Council may be aware of various pots of money available to make physical changes to the layout but he has pointed officials in the direction of funding he is aware of that could help.
He added that the letter was not trying to tell the council what to do but to be “supportive” to the highways authority.
The fire chief added that it may also be possible to change the physical layout of the cycle lane and single carriageway to create the space for a fire truck to get through.
Ms Roberts was confirmed dead by paramedics after being found by a firefighter in Perches House.
A coroner has opened an inquest into the death.
Mr Hardiman said fire crews who attended the incident on January 27 have all been offered trauma support, which is routine following fatal incidents.
Fire investigation officer Ross Donnelly has already said he was confident that the fire was accidental and electrical in origin.
But Mr Hardiman told the LDRS that work is continuing to identify the precise nature of the cause.
