Helen Morgan MP is campaigning to get safety measures implemented at a dangerous crossroads in Llynclys, Oswestry.

Shropshire Star

Transcript

00:00Sir Helen, at the Clencleys Crossroads today there's been a lot of issues

00:04discussed in the past about this. What in your view is the particular dangers of

00:08this crossroads? Well National Highways are quite clear that this is the worst

00:12accident black spot in the whole Midlands. So we've had so many near misses,

00:17really dangerous crashes here. It's really obvious to me that we need to

00:21have either the junction redesigned or some speed cameras put in to

00:26try and keep people safe because it's a notoriously dangerous junction. Have you

00:30had many people contact you recently throughout this year talking about the

00:34junction and how bad it is? Absolutely and we get constant correspondence from

00:38people who live in this area but also we knocked all of the doors of the people

00:42who live here during the general election and it's obviously it's their

00:44number one issue. It's a real problem. You hear lots of stories of local

00:48people driving a long way around to try and avoid using this junction. In

00:52February we reported that there was calls for a lower speed limit and that

00:57some things may come in like speed cameras. Have you got a progress update

01:00on that? Have you heard anything since? Well National Highways have got a couple

01:04of different types of plans in. They've got that one with the speed cameras and

01:07they've also got a plan for some traffic lights and what matters here is the

01:11funding. The funding formulas place a higher value on the speed of the traffic

01:15than they do on people's lives. So my job really is to lobby the government and

01:20get the best outcome here which is to you know is to say we can't afford to

01:24lose a life here. It's really important that we get some money put in to make

01:28this junction safe. And you said yourself you've experienced this crossroad many

01:31times. Can you talk about your personal experience and that you won't even

01:35approach it from a certain way? Yeah so I won't come straight across this

01:38crossroad. I find it you know it's not worth it. So I tend to go all the way

01:45around and turn left if I'm coming around here if I possibly can. How long

01:48do you think it could be until we see some measures maybe come into force here?

01:52Well the next round of spending for highways is called RIS 3 and

01:56that's been delayed by 12 months. So we might see some plans

02:01progress over the next year but we're not going to see anything tangible

02:04happen in that period. So I'll be pressing the Department for Transport

02:08really hard in that time to make sure that this is top of their priority list.

02:12What do you think the priority should be then here? Do you think any other

02:15measures other than speed cameras and speed reduction should be brought in?

02:19Well I think in an ideal world the junction would be redesigned. So you

02:24know we need to explore all the options. I think there are designs in place for

02:28all of those different options. But we need to do something. We can't afford to

02:31have a life lost while we're talking about the

02:34possibilities. And I'm sure you'll be working with the local group that's been

02:38set up for some time now throughout that process to try and get something done.

02:42Yes I've met them previously. Absolutely on board and supporting their efforts to

02:46get something done as well. The whole stretch of road is really dangerous.

02:50If you come through Pant and Hanamonoch just down there,

02:54the speed limit changes all the way along. We're very very hopeful that we're

02:59going to get that sorted out and a consistent speed limit put through there.

03:02But again you know just trying to get the funding signed off and get over that

03:06final hurdle is what I'm focusing on at the moment. Fingers crossed that will happen soon.

03:09Fingers crossed, yes.

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