LUDLOW environmental and transport group has called for safer walking routes in and around the town.

Shropshire Council is currently consulting on an assessment of ‘unsafe walking routes” to school.’

Under current legislation if a route is considered to be ‘unsafe’ the Council are obliged to provide transport which normally means bussing pupils in and out.

Ludlow 21 Sustainable Transport group has responded to the consultation with an assessment of the dangers faced by children travelling to four school sites in Ludlow. This identifies points where designated safe road crossings are required, pavements are inadequate and traffic speeds are too fast.

The group says it is undeniable that many Ludlow children face danger from fast moving traffic during their journey to and from school.

But surely the solution to avoiding these dangers is not to isolate children in buses but to provide safe walking infrastructure, the group argue. The government is energetically promoting Active Travel and Shropshire schools are or will be encouraging their pupils to walk or cycle.

“It appears counter-intuitive to be considering measures to put children in buses which increase road traffic and all its associated pollution and deny the opportunity to engage in healthy active travel,” said David Currant from Ludlow 21.

“Ludlow needs designated pedestrian crossings to keep children safe: for example, at the bottom end of Old Street, for children crossing to St Laurence’s Primary and at the junction of Henley Road. and Fishmore Road.

“And most critical of all Ludlow needs a default 20 mph speed limit covering the whole residential area of the town and not just in Bromfield Road.”

This would need the support of Shropshire Council that has refused to back the move although it has the support of Ludlow Town Council. These limits have been applied in towns in other parts of the country.