£12 million road overhaul to 'give Shrewsbury back to pedestrians'

The Shrewsbury Integrated Transport Package, costing £12 million, will include measures aimed at reducing congestion and improving pedestrian access.

The idea behind the shake-up, which has the backing of the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership, is to stop people driving through Shrewsbury town centre.

Residents were today urged to have their say on the plans when consultation takes place in February. Once the consultation is finished it is hoped the first phase of works will begin by the end of next year.

The plans include improvements to four major junctions on main routes into Shrewsbury, and the inner ring road.

Matt Johnson, strategic transport and contracts manager at Shropshire Council, said: "People feel comfortable in Pride Hill because it's pedestrianised, we want to expand that feel across the town centre."

The junctions earmarked for improvement are Meole Brace roundabout, Reabrook roundabout, the English Bridge gyratory, and the Longden Coleham/Belle Vue junction.

Meole Brace will see a pedestrian and cycle footway through the island to improve safety, while the English Bridge gyratory will also become more pedestrian-friendly in the hope it will become a "gateway" to the town.

The pedestrian areas in the town centre highlighted include Pride Hill, Shoplatch, High Street, and The Square.

The aim is for Pride Hill's pedestrianisation to be extended across the town centre to provide a better shopping experience.

Other plans include improved signs and communications to help people find their way around town, as well as pedestrian and cycle links which are "missing" to encourage people to leave their cars at home.

The plans, dubbed "very exciting" by Frank Beech, project director at Mouchel, will go before the public for consultation in February.

Councillor Simon Jones, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for highways, described the project as "significant". "We're intending to stop traffic coming through town, the whole idea is to make the town centre itself more pedestrian and cycle friendly," he said.

The plans have taken five years to get to this stage.

Councillor Jones said: "This has been quite a long process but we now have the funding in place through the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership and from the Community Infrastructure Levy from developers doing work in the area."

By improving junctions around the town's inner bypass, it is hoped it will encourage motorists to use the inner bypass for journeys across town rather than using routes through the town centre, and specifically those using the town centre for shopping and deliveries will drive through the centre.

It is anticipated this will reduce journey times for all.

Mr Beech said they want to "give the town back" to pedestrians.

He said: "We want people to spend more time in Shrewsbury, and encourage them to spend more money and have a better experience."

Mr Beech also said the plans would provide a safer environment for shoppers who would be able to move more freely rather than looking over their shoulders and negotiating with motorists.