Heather Kidd, Shropshire Councillor for Chirbury and Worthen has slammed Shropshire Council’s ‘Place Plan’* for the Bishop’s Castle area which ignores problems at the scene of one pedestrian death and several injuries in recent years.
Heather said: “Along with our Parish Councils, I have been campaigning to improve a number of danger spots on our roads over the last year. In their latest ‘Place Plan’*, Shropshire Council has addressed issues at two but has ignored the most dangerous site – the narrow pavement in the center of Worthen that has claimed one life already. Worse they have failed to recognise that there is a problem there.”
Shropshire Council’s latest Place Plan proposes to install a mini roundabout at the junction of the A490 and B4386 in Chirbury and improve safety at the junction of the B4386 near Folly Cottages (both of which are needed!). Still, it ignores the long-running problem of the narrow pavement in the center of Worthen. Although they acknowledge a narrow pavement, they then state ‘Insufficient evidence of the need for a project of this scale in this location’
Heather continued: ”This is quite incomprehensible as well as insensitive. Not only has there been a death and several injuries along this stretch but we have provided ample evidence over the years (I’ve been campaigning since 2009) about how difficult and dangerous this very narrow stretch is especially for children’s buggies and mobility scooters. Youn’t even walk a dog down in safely.“This section of the plan is also factually wrong talking about a bridge in Worthen (There isn’t one) and a narrow pavement between Brockton and Worthen which is not the case.“The parish council and myself will continue to press vigorously for this to be urgently addressed. It’s not fair that people have to take their lives into their hands every time they walk down to the shop.”