Consultation opens on 20mph zone for part of Shrewsbury
A consultation has started on a pilot 20mph zone for a residential area of the county town.
Shropshire Council is running a four-week consultation on the proposals, which would see a pilot 20mph zone introduced in the Copthorne and Porthill area of Shrewsbury.
In June the council's cabinet agreed to introduce the pilot for up to 18 months – if there is public support.
The plan would introduce a 20mph speed limit, replacing the existing 30mph speed limit on the residential roads within – and inclusive of – The Mount (A458) from its junction with Richmond Road, the whole length of Porthill Road (A488) and, but not including, Shelton Road.
New Street, on the A488, had a 20mph speed limit order approved in April 2022.
There was strong support for a 20mph limit in the area as part of the Porthill and Copthorne 'Liveable Neighbourhood engagement' which took place last year.
Road Traffic Accident data has also shown that more needs to be done to make streets in the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists – between 2017 and 2021, 56 per cent of casualties from road traffic accidents reported in the area involved pedestrians and cyclists.
Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for active travel, said: “I encourage all residents in the Copthorne and Porthill area to take part in this consultation.
“The aim of the 20mph speed limit zone is to bring average speeds down closer to 20mph through trialling low-cost measures, such as signage, road markings, gateway features, planters on street corners and pedestrian build-outs and crossings, as well as a mini-roundabout at the Pengwern Road/Woodfield Road junction. These measures show drivers that they are travelling through a community and encourage them to slow down.”
Traffic speeds would be monitored throughout the trial. This data, as well as public opinion survey data, would be used to decide whether the move will become permanent, and whether it should be introduced in other parts of the county.
The council said that if the consultation backs the trial then the measures will be installed in spring/summer 2023.
For information about the consultation visit shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/copthorne-and-porthill-20mph-speed-limit-zone-pilot/.
