20mph speed zone in Shrewsbury to be brought in 'imminently' says council

The Copthorne and Porthill area was put forward as part of a Shropshire Council engagement exercise in late 2021.

A spokesman for Shropshire Council said: "The Copthorne and Porthill 20mph Speed Limit Zone pilot is going ahead imminently with concept designs currently being reviewed.

"Further information will be released once the programme of works has been agreed internally."

In 2021 the public gave up to 85 per cent support as part of the Liveable Neighbourhood Trials engagement exercise. It was the most heavily supported of all the proposed measures the community were asked to provide feedback on.

It is set to be implemented via a phased approach. Low-cost measures including signage, road markings and a community behaviour change campaign to encourage drivers over time to drive at an appropriate speed "without excessive reliance by the council on enforcement by the police."

The council has said the plan is to improve air quality, reduce overall traffic speeds in the area closer to 20mph, and to make the built environment safer and a more attractive place to walk and cycle.

Speeds across the area would be monitored as part of the pilot and would be used to inform whether further engineering measures are required to reduce speeds at problem sites.

The proposed 20mph speed limit zone for Copthorne and Porthill would cover the area within (and inclusive of) The Mount (A458) – from 55 metres west of its junction with Hafren Road), the whole length of Porthill Road (A488) and (but not including) Shelton Road. New St (A488) had a 20mph speed limit order approved in April 2022.

A council scrutiny committee has looked at the subject of 20mph restrictions and concluded that they should only be considered in specific locations.

These are outside schools or where there are high numbers of vulnerable road users, on urban residential streets where wide community support can be demonstrated, where there is evidence that streets are being used by people on foot and on bicycles and where the characteristics of the street are suitable, and; on town centre streets/pedestrian dominated areas.