The town council has made a last-ditch attempt to prevent the closure of Brand Lane next Monday to Wednesday until a better plan for managing the resulting traffic chaos is in place. The closure is for three days, 24-hours a day to connect electricity and water to a single house. This is excessive. Buses and HGVs are to be rerouted over the Whitcliffe, a proposal that will not work.
The town council’s letter to Shropshire Council is reproduced in full below. It ends by saying: “The Town Council demands that Shropshire Council recognises the importance of the tourism economy of Ludlow and finds an alternative way forward.” That’s spot on.
From Ludlow Town Council to Shropshire Council.
Three Day Road Closure: 5-7 June 2017 – Brand Lane, Ludlow
Three Days of Havoc.
Ludlow Town Council is extremely concerned that the road closure will go ahead on Monday. Shropshire Council does not seem to understand how crucial Brand Lane is to the flow of traffic out of Ludlow.
Brand Lane is the main exit from the town centre. There is no practical alternative route out of the town centre for large and long vehicles. There is real concern that closing Brand Lane for 3 days will turn the town centre into a coach and lorry park.
Coaches and most lorries cannot be re-routed through the Linney, and they cannot get through the Broad Gate, so how are they going to get out of the town?
Also, the adverse camber on a very sharp corner of the diversion route could cause large coaches and lorries to ground out.
Whilst it is appreciated that this work needs to be done, there has to be another way to achieve the works without bringing Ludlow town centre to a standstill.
Significant Damage to the Tourism Reputation of Ludlow
The Town Council believe that the proposed solution is the cheapest option for the contractor, but it will be a very costly option for the tourism reputation of our town. Other options do not seem to have been seriously considered.
How can Shropshire Council justify closing down a town centre exit for three days just because a contractor wants to install utilities to a single house. Why has Shropshire Council allowed the contractors such a long period to do such minimal work?
There are Alternative Solutions.
Please postpone the works and consider different options.
The Town Council propose permitting the works during the evening, say between 6pm – 11pm, and plating the area so that vehicles can use Brand Lane during the day. Another suggestion is using a mole device so that vehicles can still use the road.
Consider the impact on Ludlow!
How well has this been planned? Where are the yellow boards giving advance notice of the closure?
What information has been given to bus companies on the closure? There a number of scheduled bus services that need to exit via Brand Lane and a lot of college buses – none have posted alternative timetables. What will be their alternative routes?
What monitoring is Shropshire Council going to put in place for this major closure?
The Town Council demands that Shropshire Council recognises the importance of the tourism economy of Ludlow and finds an alternative way forward.