Shropshire group calls for cash to be ploughed into safe cycling

Sustainable Transport Shropshire has written to Shropshire Council leader Peter Nutting and Shrewsbury Bid executive director Seb Slater to lobby for infrastructure funding from new housing developments to be ploughed into creating safe cycling lanes.

The council recently submitted a bid for £2 million in government funding to refresh all current 1,800 miles of existing cycle lanes, create additional and improved cycle parking in all key towns – to be agreed with local councils and cycling groups, create a Bicton to Shrewsbury town centre corridor and cash to redesign and refurbish Porthill Bridge. The authority also hopes to build a pedestrian/cycle bridge at Mile End, Oswestry.

More than 240 people signed the letter to Councillor Nutting and Mr Slater.

The letter said: "We recognise that cycling not only promotes improved general health, but it also contributes to reducing local car traffic and town centre car congestion – with accompanying improvement in air quality. It also contributes to combatting climate change.

"We urge Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Big Town Plan to work together both to devise a coherent network of safe cycling routes (rather than piecemeal improvements around building developments) in Shrewsbury; and for the council to do the same in other Shropshire towns, also to make bids for extra funding, additionally using community infrastructure funding from local developments.”

Peter Gilbert, Sustainable Transport Shropshire (STS) co-coordinator, said: “STS wants to save public money by ensuring that Shropshire Council only introduces schemes that meet current national standards. Other places have shown that well planned facilities, and lower speeds on roads, enable many more people to choose cycling as their preferred method of transport in towns. Whatever way you look at it this has to be a good thing.”

Michael Willmot, an STS member, added: “As an example in Shrewsbury would be the twin developments of the Shrewsbury southern extension - 950 new houses on Oteley Road; and also nearby, the 600 new houses being built at Weir Hill.

"It seems alarming that there appears to be no planned safe cycle route into town linked to either development, so causing many extra short car journeys into the already congested town centre area.

"This at the same time as the council says it is committed to both reducing town centre traffic congestion and to combatting climate change through promoting sustainable forms of transport.”