Shropshire Council intends to carry out fifteen road safety schemes around the county this year. The list includes long needed traffic calming outside Ludlow Infant and Nursery School in Sandpits Road. The decision follows site meetings where parents, governors and councillors have pressed the case for action to reduce the risk of accidents on this busy road. It is hoped that the work will take place in the autumn.
Another scheme to provide a crossing on Old Street for children and parents at St Laurence’s School is not yet scheduled and is likely to be some way off.
Sandpits Road is busy, including with heavy traffic from the Western Power Distribution depot off Riddings Road. Parents and councillors have been pressing for action for a while as peak traffic flow on the road tends to coincide with the start and end of the school day, especially in the afternoon.
Several months ago, the school governors organised a site meeting with highways officials, attended by Tracey Huffer and myself. We discussed the drafts plans for the site and proposed modifications. We haven’t yet seen the modified scheme but the work has now been entered into the council’s highways safety programme for 2019/20.
The scheme will involve installing a raised table – raising the level of the road outside the school for a few metres to slow traffic down. This will create an informal crossing. Lines will be repainted and new signs put in place.
The yellow zig zag lines outside the school are advisory and not currently enforceable. There is talk of a countywide traffic regulation order to ensure that yellow zig zags can be enforced. Better still would be for parents and other vehicle owners to be considerate and park away from the school entrance.
Proposed road safety schemes
Wolverhampton Road, Bridgnorth. Between A442 Cann Hall Road/Mill St Roundabout Bridgnorth and A454 Roundabout near Swancote. Provide additional warning and chevron signs, reorganise existing signing scheme and refresh road markings.
A41/B4379 Shifnal Road junction. A41 Junction near new Woodcote Quarry south of Sheriffhales. Provide additional signs and lines and cut back hedge row to improve visibility at B4379 junction with A41.
B5062 Sundorne Road Medical centre, Shrewsbury. Outside Medical Centre opposite Meadow Farm Road. Improve signing and lining and improve conspicuousness of the mini roundabout.
Wenlock Road, Tasley Bridgnorth. Wenlock Road junction with Church Lane east of A458 Bridgnorth Bypass. Implement additional measures for existing road safety scheme.
A458 Column Roundabout, Shrewsbury (HFS [high friction surface] only). Opposite Shirehall between Haycock Way and London Road. Signing and lining improvements plus some localised surfacing improvements.
Huffley Lane near Bomere Heath, Shrewsbury. Between A528/A5214 west of Battlefield Roundabout, Shrewsbury and Bomere Heath. Introduce road safety measures to reduce accidents. Including signing and lining improvements plus VAS [vehicle activated sign] technology.
A41 Sandford 40mph speed limit. A41 Sandford south of Prees Heath prior to dual carriageway. Road Safety measures to include signs and lines plus 40mph speed limit.
B4176 (Rabbit Run) Rudge Heath to County Boundary. Between A454 junction with B4176 Roundabout near The Royal Oak PH and the county boundary. Proposed signing and lining improvements with some additional coloured surface dressing.
Weston Road speed limit, Morda. South of Oswestry between Morda and Maesbury Road Industrial Estate. Extension of speed limit with signs ad lines including Gateway signs at village boundaries.
B4386 Mytton Oak Road footway, Shrewsbury. Between Gainspark Way and Racecourse Lan Roundabout (Near Royal Shrewsbury Hospital). Proposed footway extension and warning signs.
A456 Burford village. South Shropshire on county border near Tenbury Wells. Road Safety measures to include Gateway features, splitter islands and coloured surface dressing/imprint features.
A458 Wootton Crossroads near Bridgnorth. South east of Bridgnorth near Six Ashes and Quatt. Proposed signs and lines improvements to include junction/crossroads realignment with markings, coloured surface dressing and proposed 50mph speed limit.
Sandpits Road, Ludlow raised crossing. North of Ludlow town centre next to Ludlow Infant & Nursery School south east of Henley Road. Signing and lining improvements plus raised table/informal crossing.
Tong. Stanton Road junction with A41 near Tong Village north of M54 junction 3. Major junction improvements to include right turn filter lane, carriageway re-alignment, surfacing, signs and lines plus street lighting.
Bridge Road, Broseley weight limit TRO (permission required from T&W council). South of River Severn at Iron Bridge Gorge. TRO [Traffic Regulation Order], signs and lines within Telford and Wrekin to complete the Much Wenlock HGV scheme.
The bus stop near the school is regularly used as temporary parking by school-run parents, as are every area of double-yellow nearby. There was a parking warden on site one morning this past year, but otherwise enforcement near that school is nil.
Another hot spot is the corner with Livesey Road, where customers of the corner shop routinely park across pavements, corners, double yellows and even private drives. This also seems to peak during school run times. I have heard someone was killed at that intersection a few years back, and it’s not any safer now.