Shrewsbury must be more 'car friendly', says MP Kawczynski

Shrewsbury needs to be more "car friendly" with fewer parking restrictions to make it easier for people to visit and support traders, the town's MP claimed today.

Daniel Kawczynski said he backed ideas put forward by business leaders earlier this week to scrap pay-and-display machines at the town's surface car parks in favour of pay-on-exit barriers.

But he also called for other areas of the town's parking to be looked at to ensure elderly people and tourists who rely on cars did not find it too difficult or costly to visit Shrewsbury.

His comments come after Shropshire Council leaders and local businesses last week agreed to work together to help promote Shrewsbury and encourage people to visit the town.

Today Mr Kawczynski said: "I am very conscious that traders are concerned about parking.

"Parking in Shrewsbury isn't the easiest of things to do in my view.

"I'm hoping there will be more of a car friendly policy.

"Although I do think it is important to cycle, some people rely on their cars, particularly elderly people coming from surrounding villages. We're not all young agile people who can get around easily."

And he welcomed calls for pay-on-exit barriers to be introduced on surface car parks in the town after Simon Airey, president of Shrewsbury Business Chamber, and John Hall, from Shop in the Loop which represents town traders, suggested the idea earlier this week.

Mr Kawczynski said: "Pay on exit is a very good idea.

"With the tickets you buy at the moment you're rushing and your car is on the clock all the time and you may not do things you would like to do.

"We certainly don't want to have a system which encourages tourists and people who come into the town to try to get out as quickly as they can."

And Mr Kawczynski said he did not want Shrewsbury to get a reputation as being a place that was more difficult to shop because of parking than the likes of Telford or Chester.

He said: "We want Shrewsbury to have a reputation of being a car friendly town."

By John Kirk