Highley residents are at long last to have the mini island in the village resurfaced. Shropshire Council have scheduled the work to commence on 26th October, weather permitting. The number one issue raised by residents in the village to Heather Kidd and Highley Liberal Democrat Cllr Mary Nicholls is the state of the road surfaces throughout the village, with the mini island coming high up on the priority list. Heather and Mary have carried out a number of surveys in the Highley area during the last few months.
Cllr Mary Nicholls said, “In fairness to Shropshire’s Highways Department the work was scheduled to be completed some months ago but I raised the question of whether the island could be re-designed prior to resurfacing as residents throughout the village had raised concerns about its design. Complaints about the island have been made that the island does not slow traffic at that spot, it forces motorists in large vehicles towards the centre of the road, and that the raised island was not of sufficient height to be considered as an island – as well as the poor surface of course”.
Cllr Nicholls met with Road Safety officers in the summer to discuss the island and whether any of these concerns could be addressed, and was advised that the tight location with Arley View Close and Church Lane coming off it, together with the requirement for buses and emergency vehicles to straddle it precluded a re-design of this stretch of the highway.
Cllr Nicholls further stated, “I know residents have waited a long time for this resurfacing work to be undertaken but it was common sense to have Road Safety officers check its suitability for current motoring needs prior to any work commencing”.