Wem traffic campaigners vow to keep up fight

The group Cleaner Safer Roads in Wem say they want Wem Town Council and Shropshire Council to look at more immediate solutions to the problems rather than long-term projects.

Campaigners have called for HGVs to be restricted from using parts of the town centre.

They say the town cannot cope with the number of large vehicles using it, which they claim are damaging historic buildings.

Shropshire Council has already said it will continue to monitor traffic flows in and around Wem before deciding on the "most appropriate intervention".

But campaigners want to see an 'unsuitable for HGVs' sign or weight restriction installed as soon as possible.

A petition launched by the group which has attracted about 800 signatures was presented to Wem Town Council at its meeting last week calling for action to be taken.

Susan Griffiths, spokeswoman for Cleaner Safer Roads in Wem, said: "It's vital to our campaign to keep pressure on the town and Shropshire Council. The town council meeting was well-attended and lots of people spoke about personal problems they had with Wem town traffic.

"We are keen for an 'unsuitable for HGVs' sign or a weight restriction in order to reduce damage to buildings and to make life safer for pedestrians, especially those with mobility issues on pavements not even three feet wide in places on Mill Street.

"We have asked for an estimated timetable of putting in for the bid and an outcome."

Councillor John Murray, mayor of Wem, appreciated the damage being caused to historic buildings but said large vehicles have to use the town.

"We've handed the petition into Shropshire Council who are doing a survey hopefully in the next fortnight," he said. "They will then come back to us and we will sit down and work out what's best for Wem. We hope to do remedial bits and pieces as well.

"Obviously we are all concerned about it but it is an agricultural town and we have to appreciate the businesses that need large vehicles to be able to access Wem. I don't think we will get an ideal solution but it will hopefully be something that suits everyone."

Simon Jones, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for highways and transport, said:

"To establish current and accurate information on the scale of the issue, we intend to undertake a traffic survey in the town, and also at key points on the wider road network. A proposal for this survey is being drafted, and council funding to commission this study will be then be sought."