Shrewsbury road will close to all traffic but buses – with cameras in place

Shropshire Council’s cabinet has backed plans to install automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to enforce the partial closure of a section of Crowmeole Lane, which has been subject to a trial bus gate for the last year.

Members heard at a meeting on Wednesday that there was widespread support for the initiative from local residents, but traffic monitoring had found that motorists were regularly flouting the trial closure.

There will now be a six-week public consultation, subject to which it is hoped a permanent traffic order will come into effect when the temporary order expires in September.

Thanks to new legislation being brought in at the end of May, the council will be able to fine offending drivers, and if this exceeds ongoing running costs any surplus will be ring-fenced for future active travel schemes.

Councillor Ian Nellins, cabinet member for climate change, said: “The aim of the trial point closure was to create a safe corridor for walking and cycling to and from residential areas to access employment, including the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital which is a major employer, as well as schools and key services in the area.

“The trial point closure was purely signage-only, but there is evidence that a lack of physical barriers has resulted in a number of drivers ignoring the point closure and driving through it.”

The closure affects the part of the lane between the junction with Rad Valley Road, over the narrow Radbrook bridge, to its most northerly junction with Sandiway, in both directions.

Councillor Nellins said: “The physical location of the point closure allows for residents in surrounding streets to access their properties from Crowmeole Lane but prevents through access for vehicles, allowing for a safer route for pedestrians and cyclists.”

He added that a funding bid for the scheme would be made to the Department for Transport.