'Each day of delay is a risk' - Shropshire MP urges action at 'accident blackspot' crossroads that residents 'avoid'
Each day without action at an "accident blackspot" in Shropshire is another day where motorists face the risk of a collision, an MP has warned.
North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has renewed her call for "urgent" safety improvements at the Llynclys Crossroads on the A483 between Oswestry and Llanymynech.
The junction was previously branded as the 'worst in the region' when looking at locations where a cluster of incidents had taken place.
Earlier this year, National Highways installed monitoring cameras at the site to assess what changes could be made to improve safety. Mrs Morgan says improvement options include changes to the junction design, road layout, and speed limits.
In April, National Highways told the Shropshire Star that it was "developing options", but added that any significant work would depend on funding from the Government’s Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3). A draft of the RIS3 was published in late August.
Speaking in Parliament last Thursday (September 11), Mrs Morgan asked Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP, to confirm a timetable for works at the "accident blackspot".
Mrs Morgan is now awaiting a written response from the Transport Secretary outlining any details or commitments for the site.
"Each day there is a delay in implementing changes at the crossroads means an extra day goes by where drivers in the area have to face the risk of a collision at the junction," said Mrs Morgan.
"We need urgent action and that’s why I pressed the Secretary of State on when a decision would be made and when works would begin to make the crossing safer.
"For too long, the Llynclys junction on the A483 has held the unfortunate crown of one of the worst blackspots in the whole of the Midlands and I will keep raising the issue in Parliament until that changes."
Mrs Morgan also told MPs that the A483 is "critical" to the economic prosperity of Mid-Wales and North Shropshire.
Earlier this year, the Liberal Democrat MP raised concerns over a series of incidents at the junction - including a five-car crash, collisions involving the nearby White Lion pub, and other serious incidents.
In August, a woman suffered potentially serious injuries in a crash near the notorious crossroads.
Mrs Morgan told Parliament that local residents "positively avoid the area". In July, she met with the Transport Minister to discuss the issue in person and said North Shropshire’s transport infrastructure has been "seriously neglected" over many years
