Shrewsbury MP invites Secretary of State to see A49 problems

Daniel Kawczynski has written to Grant Shapps asking for his assistance on road safety on the busy commuter route.

His letter comes just weeks after two schoolgirls were knocked down by a bus as they walked through Dorrington, near Shrewsbury.

In his letter to Mr Shapps, Mr Kawczynski said: "The A49 in the south of my constituency has seen a spate of accidents in the past 24 months, culminating in an accident in the centre of the village of Dorrington where two school children were knocked down by a bus.

"The A49 runs through the village of Dorrington and the road has become busier and busier. As Shropshire Council finalises its Development plans, Dorrington has been designated a Hub for development purposes and this will result in the village growing further."

He added that the day before the accident the councillor for the area, Dan Morris and the chairman of the parish council Edward Marvin met with Highways England to discuss the matter. They were told that current DFT guidelines 'do not support any further immediate changes, although they would bear this stretch of road in mind for future engineering purposes."

Mr Kawczynski told Mr Shapps that people living along the road are 'scared' and added: "They do not understand why as the village has grown so should the speed limits change to reflect this growth and other mitigation measures be taken."

He invited Mr Shapps to meet with him and local people to hear their views. He said: "We need to see some more immediate changes in the village."