You can’t get away from potholes and failing road surfaces in Ludlow. Sheet Road, one of main access roads into town, is falling apart from one end to the other. Pedestrian crossings are barely visible because crossing stripes haven’t been painted in years. New potholes appear almost every day. The contractors who maintain the A49 between Ludlow and Bromfield admit it “is breaking up and in poor condition.”
The state of our local roads in Shropshire will be the topic of discussion at a public meeting in Ludlow on 5 July.
All road maintenance work in Shropshire is carried out by the engineering contractor Keir. The company has a contract from Highways England to maintain the strategic road network in the county. That’s roads like the A49 and the A5. It also has a new contract to repair local roads on behalf of Shropshire Council.
The Ludlow and Clee Local Joint Committee (LJC) has invited Kier and council highways officers to talk about the state of local roads and their plans for improving them.
Councillor Andy Boddington, current chair of the LJC, says:
“Our LJC is the community space where some of our biggest debates occur. The state of our roads is one of the most contentious issues in Ludlow and the surrounding area. I am looking forward to Kier and Shropshire Council setting out how they work and what the priorities are.
“Cyclists tell me they are scared to ride down Sheet Road because of poor state of the road. Buses from the park and ride rattle down the road bump by bump. That’s hardly a good advert for our tourist town.”
The meeting will also discuss priorities for funding youth projects and other local issues.
The public meeting is at 7pm, 5 July in the Elim Church Hall, Smithfield Car Park, Ludlow, SY8 1RT.