Parents in safer route to school campaign near Market Drayton
Speeding traffic and poor footpaths are making people's journeys to school unsafe, it has been claimed.
Parents in Sutton upon Tern, near Market Drayton, have been signing a petition calling for improvements to be made.
They claim speeding traffic and poor footpaths along the A41 at Tern Hill are big issues in the area.
About 130 people have signed the petition which was presented to Sutton upon Tern Parish Council along with pictures of the problems calling for urgent action recently.
Councillor Allison Jackson, who chairs the council, said: “The parish council received a local petition at our last meeting from concerned parishioners calling for safety improvements to the A41 and local footpaths to make it safe to walk to school.
"We are promoting these issues as part of a community concern with our local Shropshire Councillor Rob Gittins to see what improvements can be achieved.”
Councillor Gittins, who is also a member of the parish council, said: “This issue has been raised with me via the parish council and I’m already actively talking with the Safer Road Partnership within West Mercia about the speed of traffic on the A41.
"In terms of a safer route to school and the conditions of the footpath route this will be raised with Shropshire highways and Shropshire education as a matter of urgency."
The MoD plans to close the nearby Clive Barracks site in Tern Hill by 2022, which has been earmarked for potential housing and employment development.
"It’s clear to me that with the potential investment at Clive Barracks as a housing and employment site this type of highway infrastructure investment needs to take account not only of traffic movements but also of pedestrian movements," Councillor Gittins said.
Speeding has also been an issue on other roads such as the A529, between Hinstock and Audlem.
The road, which has been notorious for several serious accidents in recent years, has been recognised as one of the 50 roads with the worst safety record in Britain.
Shropshire Council has confirmed it is making a £3.8 million bid to make the road safer.
Councillor Gittins said: "We also have speeding problems on narrow country lanes such as between Cheswardine and Soudley of which I have received numerous complaints over the last six months.
"This is on top of the speeding issues on the A529 which has been regarded to be one of the most dangerous roads in the country."
He added he has asked North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson to take this up with Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling to see what can be done on a more national level to reduce speeding on rural roads.
