Residents ask council to deal with "race track" Market Drayton road
Councillors say they will work the county council on improving road safety
A busy road in Market Drayton has been described as a “racetrack” with residents urgently calling for traffic calming measures to be installed.
Last month a 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and taken to hospital with minor injuries after a multi-vehicle crash left a Land Rover teetering ‘precariously’ on its side close to several properties.
Emergency services were called to Shrewsbury Road at around 11.45am on July 1. Market Drayton Fire Station said a hatchback car had been involved in a “significant” collision with a parked Land Rover Freelander which then collided with another parked car.
At a recent Market Drayton Town Council meeting, councillors discussed safety concerns along the road. It came after a resident wrote to the council asking for an urgent request for speed calming measures on Shrewsbury Road.
“Shrewsbury Road has effectively become a race track, especially during late night and early morning hours when the road is quieter – the very time when it becomes most dangerous for its residents,” said the resident.
“A speeding car, estimated by the fire crew to be travelling at 70mph, flipped a parked car over, smashed into two other parked vehicles, and three walls
were damaged, including substantial damage to my neighbour’s property.
“Emergency services – including a fire engine, paramedics, police, and a recovery vehicle – were all required, placing yet more strain and cost on our already stretched public services.
“Personally, I have experienced significant financial loss and emotional distress due to these repeated incidents.
“My own parked car was written off by a speeding vehicle in 2021. My partner’s car was also written off – and incredibly, his vehicle was written off again.
“These are not just statistics. These are ongoing, traumatic disruptions to our daily lives and our sense of safety in our own homes.
“In 2022, an elderly man was struck by a speeding vehicle and left in critical condition – another preventable tragedy that highlights just how unsafe this road has become.
“Shrewsbury Road is a residential street, home to families, children, and elderly residents. Where the incident and the one in 2021 occurred is approximately 250 yards from the primary school on Alexandra Road. And last year, the pedestrian crossing and fence leading to the primary school was also
destroyed by a speeding driver.
“Now a nursery is being built, which will bring even more parents with babies and young children into the area. It is completely unacceptable that they should have to navigate a road where high-speed collisions are a regular occurrence.
“It is only a matter of time before another serious injury – or death – occurs. We cannot wait for that moment to act.”
Market Drayton Town Council has agreed to contact the highways department at Shropshire Council to request a site meeting at Shrewsbury Road, by the pet shop, to discuss the possibilities of improving safety in the area.