40mph and 50mph limits are proposed for two roads east of Shrewsbury, where 11 injury crashes since 2021 killed one rider. Comment 1 to 22 October.
Shropshire Council wants to lower the speed limit on two stretches of road between Shrewsbury and Atcham. Both are national speed limit roads today, which means 60mph.
The proposals are:
- B4380 Emstrey Bank: a 40mph limit from just off the A5 for the first half kilometre, then 50mph the rest of the way to Atcham
- Norton Crossroads, where the B5061 crosses the B4394 near Wroxeter: a 50mph limit for about 300 metres either side of the junction
The public consultation on both runs from Thursday 1 October to Thursday 22 October. The details are on the council’s consultation pages for Emstrey Bank and Norton Crossroads.
Both roads have a record. Government road casualty data for 2021 to 2025 shows 11 injury collisions on the stretches the council wants to slow down. One motorcyclist was killed and seven other people were seriously injured.
What the council is proposing
Emstrey Bank. The council says a 40mph limit is aimed at improving road safety “in an area where there are significant numbers of vehicle turning movements”. The draft order sets out exactly where each limit would run:
- 40mph from 75 metres south east of the A5 junction to 500 metres south east of it
- 50mph from there to 86 metres west of the junction with the C5062, the Atcham to Cross Houses road
Norton Crossroads. The council says the aim is “to reduce vehicle speeds on the approaches to the crossroads”. The B5061 is the former route of the A5. The 50mph limit would cover:
- the B5061 from 307 metres west of the junction to 302 metres east of it
- the B4394 towards Walcot for 71 metres north of the junction
- the B4394 towards Wroxeter for 41 metres south of the junction
The collision record
We checked the Department for Transport’s STATS19 road casualty records for both stretches. We matched each collision to the line of the road itself, using its recorded position and the current speed limit.
| Stretch | Collisions | Killed | Seriously injured | Slightly injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B4380 Emstrey Bank, A5 to Atcham (national limit section) | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Norton Crossroads, B5061 and B4394 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Total | 11 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
The pattern is sharp. Of the eight people killed or seriously hurt, seven were motorcyclists. The eighth was a car occupant, hurt in the same June 2024 collision on Emstrey Bank in which a motorcyclist died. Everyone slightly injured was in a car.
At Norton Crossroads, all five collisions happened at the junction itself. Three motorcyclists were seriously injured there: one in September 2024 and two in 2025, in January and September. Two of the three were on bikes of 125cc or less, and one was 17.
On Emstrey Bank, four of the six collisions, including the fatal one, were at the same point, about 250 metres from the A5 junction. That falls inside the stretch proposed for 40mph.
Two caveats. STATS19 counts only collisions reported to the police in which somebody was hurt, so damage-only crashes are not in it. And the 2025 figures are the newest in the series and can still be revised.
Other speed limit proposals
The council’s consultation portal also lists speed limit proposals near Bishop’s Castle Community College and at Lower Heath.
What it means for you
If you use either road, you can support, object to or comment on the plans from 1 October. The deadline is 22 October 2026.
- By email: traffic.engineering@shropshire.gov.uk
- By post: Traffic Engineering Team, Guildhall, Frankwell, Shrewsbury
- To ask a question: 0345 678 9077
The council says objections must be made in writing or by email, and must give the grounds for objecting. It cannot accept them by phone. Responses without a name and address are treated as anonymous, which the council says may affect their weight.
The full proposals can also be seen at Shrewsbury Library on Castle Gates. Each consultation page carries a plan of the new limits.
The council has not said when the new limits would start if they are approved.
The roads around Emstrey are already busy with works. Our Shropshire roadworks page has this week’s closures, including the M54 at Junction 4. West Midlands Ambulance Service also plans a new base at Emstrey, which we reported in September.
Sources: Shropshire Council consultation pages for Emstrey Bank and Norton Crossroads; Department for Transport, road safety data (STATS19), 2021 to 2025.
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