Market Drayton road safety group could fold due to lack of members

The Market Drayton Road Safety Group, which its chair says is the only one of its kind left in Shropshire, will make a decision on whether the group's members can continue at next week's meeting.

It comes after only three or four people had been attending meetings.

The independent group has been active since the 1950s and involves townspeople discussing their concerns about the area's roads, and organising lobbying efforts.

Over the years the group's efforts have changed Market Drayton's roads, getting speed limits changed and speed bumps installed.

Chris Smith has been a member of the group for 30 years, and now serves as its chair.

He said that a difficult decision would have to be made unless something could be changed.

"We are struggling for members," he said. "There are three or four of us who go to the meetings and it is getting hard.

"I think we will have to make a difficult decision soon if it doesn't change.

"It is the last surviving road safety group in Shropshire, although Albrighton have recently started theirs back up again."

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 27, at the town hall on Frogmore Road.

It will begin at 7.30pm and Chris invited any interested residents to attend and share their views.

Councillor Mark Whittle, Market Drayton's mayor, said that the town was a much safer place because of the Road Safety Group, and that it would be a dark day if it shut.

"It would be a loss to the town," he said.

"It is the reason why the town, by the schools, are safer. The locations of speed bumps have been identified by the Road Safety Group. The reason why a lot of roads are down to 30mph was because of the Road Safety Group. There's nothing better than road safety and it would be a dark day if they actually stopped.

"Anybody who wants to help - please come forward and get in touch. They are running out of people, we need more blood in there."