Firefighters face 'unnecessary' delays due to road

The fire service is being "unnecessarily" delayed during emergency callouts due to a controversial new road layout, a firefighter has told the BBC.

Rob Cartwright said traffic around Shrewsbury railway station at peak hours was slowing down response times and putting "immense" pressure on drivers.

Shropshire Council spent about £3.8m of government funding on turning two lanes of Castle Foregate into one lane so a cycle path and controversial "floating" bus stop could be installed.

The authority, which did not consult with Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service before construction, said changes to the scheme would be subject to funding and resources.

Shrewsbury fire station is less than half a mile from the town's railway station and the service must frequently pass through the area to respond to emergencies.

"We just want to get through there safely, quickly and effectively," said Cartwright.

"Being held up by traffic unnecessarily prevents us doing what we need to do.

"Now that they've cut the road down to one lane and installed the cycle lane, the traffic's effectively got nowhere to go.

"Cars are trying to get out of our way because they know we're trying to get to an emergency but they're taking the extreme measure of driving up and on to the kerb, which is obviously putting pedestrians at risk."

Cartwright, who is a brigade secretary for the Fire Brigades Union, said firefighters based on St Michael's Street had to pass through the gyratory when attending callouts in the town centre, plus to the south and west of Shrewsbury.

He wants the bollards separating the cycle path and road to be removed so emergency vehicles have a way of bypassing traffic, without vehicles needing to move out of the way.

But his ultimate hope is to have the cycle path removed completely, as well as having the road widened outside the Morris building on Castle Foregate, which he said had become "another pinch point".

About 6,800 people have signed a petition calling for the road layout to be returned to how it was before construction began in 2023.

A review conducted by a cross-party group of councillors before Christmas found that works were carried out without robust political oversight or appropriate planning.

The BBC also found the floating bus stop to be in breach of national standards by being too narrow.

In a statement, Liberal Democrat-led Shropshire Council said its officers were reviewing the details of a road safety audit before it was shared with councillors.

The authority is also preparing an independent safety review, which will set out how the design aligns with relevant legislation and identify any remedial actions.

"Any potential modifications arising from these processes would be subject to consultation, the necessary approvals, and the availability of funding and resources," a spokesperson said.

"Constructive dialogue with the fire service has helped identify a potential solution, put forward by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, for navigating the bus stop island on Castle Foregate.

"Discussions are ongoing with the design team to facilitate further engagement with the fire service," they added.

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