Leebotwood: 'Village cut in half by busy A49 road'

Rebecca Hill said she is worried when her children cross the road to catch the bus to school

A petition is calling for a pedestrian crossing on a busy road which residents said divides a village in two.

Shops and amenities are on one side of the A49 in Leebotwood, Shropshire, but villagers said there is nowhere safe for them to cross.

At least 300 people have signed the petition, more than the village's population.

National Highways said it will carry out a study to see if there is a suitable location for one.

Rebecca Hill launched the petition calling for a pedestrian crossing to be installed and said she worries for school children trying to cross the 40mph road.

"Nobody slows down, the lorries come thundering through...there is so much going on in Leebotwood but no safety to cross the roads," she said.

"I can wait up to 20 minutes sometimes to cross the road safely."

The mother-of-two said she feels the village is divided into two as there are shops, pubs and the village hall on one side but people cannot get to them safely.

A local resident said she feels the resident is divided

Leebotwood is the only village on the road between Ludlow and Shrewsbury without the crossing.

Dan Morris, cabinet member for highways at Shropshire Council, backed the petition and said he was sure motorists would be prepared to wait a short while for children to cross the road.

National Highways Route Manager Richard Timothy said the volume of traffic will be assessed and the number of people crossing.

Councillor Dan Morris said he is glad National Highways is taking this seriously

The scheme would need to be assessed through the Scheme Appraisal Report to ensure it provides value for money.

If it does, National Highways will then seek the necessary funding to undertake the design and delivery of the crossing.