Proposed safer routes to schools in Wem
Shropshire Council and the local Shropshire Councillors for Wem have been working with St Peter’s CE Primary School in the town to look at ways to encourage more walking, and to improve safety on the school journey.
As part of the ‘Safer Routes to School’ programme, the council is proposing to introduce a package of measures on New Street and Shrubbery Gardens. The scheme will involve a new Zebra crossing and associated footway widening on New Street, at the junction with Pyms Road.
The Zebra crossing will help pedestrians to cross the road safely, particularly parents and pupils associated with St Peter’s CE Primary School or Thomas Adams School. It will also encourage more children and parents to walk to school, thereby reducing congestion and improving health.
The junction alterations at Pyms Road will reduce the road width for pedestrians crossing New Street to the north of this junction, and help to slow vehicles using the junction.
Alongside this, alterations will be made to the existing uncontrolled crossing point outside St Peter’s CE Primary School, with a footway buildout, give-way priority system for traffic and flashing warning lights. This will improve safety for pedestrians, particularly schoolpupils, and deter inappropriate parking at the front of the school.
Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for transport planning, said:
“We hope that these proposals will help to improve some of the key issues that local people have told us about and will encourage more pupils, parents and teachers to walk to school.”
Chris Mellings, a Shropshire Councillor for Wem and Chair of Governors at St Peter’s, said:
“We have long campaigned for safety improvements in these locations. It is great news that the council has now come forward with proposals to make access to the school safer for local children. Safety in New Street has long been a concern, and a crossing here will improve things for children going to both St Peter’s and Thomas Adams . The proposals are now available for consultation and I hope local residents will feel able to support them. We also continue to campaign for safer crossing facilities along Mill Street, which again has been a long standing concern for local residents.”
Pauline Dee, also a Shropshire Councillor for Wem, said:
“I am so pleased that this new Zebra crossing is proposed in New Street and the widening of the footway is to be implemented. I lived many years ago in Lowe Hill Road, and was always concerned at the speed of traffic coming into Wem when I was taking my children to school. The proposed improvements outside St Peter’s School will hopefully be much safer for children when walking to school.”
The plans can be viewed at Edinburgh House in Wem. Alternatively, people can visit shropshire.gov.uk/traveltransport.nsf.
Shropshire Council is planning to start work on the scheme before March 2013. If you have any comments, please contact Andy Wilde or Victoria Merrill in Shropshire Council’s transport and highways team on 01743 253008 or traffic.engineering@shropshire.gov.uk.
The closing date for comments is Thursday 13 December 2012.
