Shropshire villages and towns in call for HGV ban
A campaign has been launched to stop heavy goods vehicles from using streets around three small towns and villages in Shropshire.
Councils in Broseley, Barrow and Much Wenlock want large lorries to begin using alternative routes instead of travelling through town and village centres.
David Turner, Shropshire Councillor for Much Wenlock, said concerns had been raised over an increase in congestion and vibrations from large vehicles damaging property and pavements in all three areas.
He said: "Broseley Town Council raised some particular concerns about the HGVs coming through the town and unnecessarily going through the town centres.
"For instance, if someone is delivering to the garage they sometimes go straight through the town.
"We have got together with Barrow Parish Council to restrict the movements of HGVs and we've also got concerns about Benthall Lane and Bridge Road heading towards Ironbridge.
"The roads are very steep and narrow with some nasty bends in them.
"Much Wenlock suffers from the same problems as Broseley but Wenlock is more of a through route, which brings its own problems."
Representatives from Broseley, Barrow and Much Wenlock will hold a meeting during the next three weeks to form an action plan, which will be sent to Shropshire Council.
Mr Turner added: "There are lots of trucks that travel through Wenlock using the A458 and the A4169, which is fair enough.
"But the problems occur when the trucks try and drive straight through the town centre.
"There has been some damage caused there in the past, with a front window being smashed just before Christmas.
"There have also been several incidents where drivers have been sent through Sheinton Street, into the town centre, and then back out again using their sat navs.
"Clearly Wenlock was not designed to take such vehicles.
"We want to get our heads together so we can formulate a plan.
"We need to sort out where we would be happy for lorries to travel, trying to keep them on the main roads where possible.
"We don't want to take lorries off the main roads completely but they can cause congestion, damage kerbs and cause damage to other vehicles and property."
