Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski today said common sense had prevailed after plans to impose town centre congestion charging were shelved.
The Conservative MP said he was delighted that Shropshire County Council had finally “listened to the people”.
Councillors voted yesterday to scrap congestion charging plans and a toll on Shrewsbury’s proposed £60 million North West Relief Road for the time being.
A permanent decision will depend out on the outcome of a full public consultation exercise in January.
Mr Kawczynski, who has been running a petition against the plans, today vowed to continue his fight against road charging in the town.
He said: “I am very pleased the council has put these plans on hold and listened to the people. To even contemplate having congestion charging in Shrewsbury was ludicrous. It would have blown a hole in the county council’s credibility.
“I joined the protesters at the Shirehall yesterday as this is something I have been calling for repeatedly,” he added.
“I know the people of Shropshire are against the plans as more than 4,000 people have signed my petition.
“I am going to fight this to the bitter end and I am urging people to sign the petition at
www.daniel4shrewsbury.co.uk“I want more than 10,000 signatures by January so I can present it to the Commons. We need to show the extent of the public opposition to it.”
County councillors said yesterday they had called for an immediate review of “alternative means” of reducing congestion in the town.
This is good news, as many large traders based in the town centre had already stated that they would re-locate if the charge was sanctioned. Whether the decision will affect the funding for the relief road, I don't know.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
Members
