£4 million announced to tackle killer Shropshire A-road

Five people have died on the A529 between Hinstock and Audlem since 2012.

Now Transport Minister Jesse Norman MP has awarded Shropshire Council £3,888,000 to spend on improving safety.

Between January 2012 and July 2017 there were five fatal, 12 serious and 60 slight crashes on the road. Along with the people killed there were also 16 serious injuries and 98 slight injuries as a result of the crashes.

Steve Davenport, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for highways and transport, said today: "This is great news and I welcome the award of this money that will enable us to carry out essential and much-needed safety work on this dangerous stretch of road.

"I’m delighted that our bid, combined with lobbying the government, has been successful and I look forward to work starting at the earliest opportunity.”

The council's bid for funding highlighted the need for changes at the Mount Pleasant crossroads and the A41 junction near Hinstock, where there have been a number of serious accidents.

However, it also said that the problems with the road were not limited to those two areas, and that the entire route needed assessing.

It stated: "While there is an accident cluster at the Mount Pleasant crossroads, the majority of the accidents are dispersed along the whole route. This reinforces the approach of proactively addressing and reducing the known risks that could result in serious or fatal injuries along the route as a whole."

Changes could include signs, shoulder rumble strips, shoulder sealing, roadside barriers, skid resistance, clearing roadside hazards, central hatching, traffic calming and a cycle lane.

Specific measures are also planned to address the Mount Pleasant crossroads and the A41 junction near Hinstock.

The award was one of the largest from Department for Transport’s £100m Safer Roads Fund, which has been split between the 50 most dangerous stretches of ‘A’ roads in England.

Councillor Davenport said the authority and their consultant WSP are now going through the detail of the announcement, and will draw up plans for the work.

It will involve various safety improvements at key locations on the A529. They will include junction and visibility improvements, and better road markings and signing.

The work is set to start before the end of March 2019, and will initially focus on the design of the scheme.

Police welcome funding announcement

Shropshire police today welcomed the funding announcement. Chief Superintendent Kevin Purcell, policing lead for Shropshire and Telford, said it would help improve safety. He also moved to remind people about the dangers of drink driving.

"We’re really pleased with the Government’s announcement to invest in some of the most dangerous stretches of A roads in the county, in particular in our rural areas," he said.

“Our Safer Neighbourhood Teams work very closely with our Operations Policing Unit to make our roads even safer and a lot of work has been done recently to highlight the importance of road safety, this work will continue and we will be supporting the Safer Roads Partnership drink drive campaign launched to coincide with the start of the World Cup.

"Drink driving is one of the four most likely causes of a collision where someone dies or is seriously injured and our advice is simply don’t do it.

“During the summer months we also see more and more people going out on motorbikes and would urge motorists to always think bike.

“Everyone has a part to play in road safety and by working together we can all play a part in making our roads safer.”

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said the funding would help make roads safer.

He said: “Too many people are dying or seriously injured on our roads, and it is excellent news that the government are making this a priority. The national investment in resources for policing and the significant progress so far is great news for our communities, particularly those in rural areas where the risks can be higher.

"I am also reassured by the progress of West Mercia Police locally, with extensive work around enforcement, and awareness to target and change driver attitude. Road safety continues to be a high priority for me, and I will continue to ensure everyone is working together to keep road users safe.”