Bus gates in Shrewsbury, traffic enforcement cameras and a Gobowen to Oswestry line study are in Shropshire's draft transport plan. Comment by 16 November.

Bus gates on routes in and out of Shrewsbury and cameras that fine drivers for banned turns are among the proposals in Shropshire Council’s draft Local Transport Plan. The public consultation is open until Monday 16 November.

The plan covers 2027 to 2037 and sets out how the council will spend its transport money. The council is legally required to have one as the local transport authority. It expects to adopt the final version in spring 2027 (Shropshire Council newsroom, 5 October).

Most of the 12 action areas are strategies and reviews. The detail that will change journeys is in the implementation plan, which gives each proposal a place, a cost band and a timetable.

What the draft plan proposes

The proposals most likely to be noticed on the street:

Proposal Where When, if adopted
Bus gates on priority corridors In and out of Shrewsbury and in the town centre Design 2028 to 2029, delivery 2029 to 2032
Moving-traffic enforcement cameras Shrewsbury first, then countywide Shrewsbury delivery 2028 to 2032
Evening and weekend Park and Ride Existing Shrewsbury sites Worked up 2027 to 2028, changes in 2028
More Connect On Demand zones Shrewsbury outskirts, then market towns 2029 to 2032
E-bike subscription scheme Ludlow, Bridgnorth, Oswestry, Market Drayton 2028 to 2031
Gobowen to Oswestry line study Former railway line 2028 to 2029
Discounted bus fares for young people not in work or education Countywide pilot 2028 to 2029, wider roll-out to 2032

Bus gates and cameras in Shrewsbury

A bus gate is a short stretch of road that only buses, and usually taxis and cycles, may use. The plan says the council will pick priority corridors from evidence on bus demand, congestion, reliability and air quality. Early work may be quick wins. Larger measures, “such as bus gates, signal priority, junction changes or bus lanes”, would be phased in subject to approvals and funding.

No streets are named. The plan ties the work to the Shrewsbury Moves plan and lists the town council and Shrewsbury BID as stakeholders. Phase 1 is costed at £101,000 to £1 million.

Moving-traffic cameras let a council fine drivers for things like no-entry, banned-turn and yellow box offences. The plan says the council will publish a method for choosing camera sites over three to five years, weighing traffic flows, collisions, offences, footfall and cycling. Shrewsbury comes first; the rest of the county is marked “not determined”.

Park and Ride and on-demand buses

The council would first look at better service from the existing Shrewsbury Park and Ride sites, “including consideration of evening and weekend provision”. A review of a wider “Park and Choose” model would follow in 2028, then feasibility work for other towns where there is a congestion or visitor case.

Connect On Demand, the on-demand bus service launched in Shrewsbury, would get new zones on the town’s outskirts from 2029 and then spread to the principal market towns.

Rail

The plan backs a feasibility study into the former Gobowen to Oswestry line. It would compare passenger rail, heritage rail and a walking and cycling route. The study would have to deal with the A5 crossing, funding and whether any option can be delivered. The council would be a partner, not the lead.

It also commits to keep working on the business case for a Shropshire and Mid Wales Parkway station, with delivery dates marked “to be confirmed”.

Separately, the council’s leader, Heather Kidd, and transport cabinet member Rob Wilson wrote to rail minister Lord Hendy on 8 October. The Office of Rail and Road had rejected, for a second time, West Midlands and Shropshire Railways’ proposal for a direct service between Wrexham and London, which the council supported. Their letter says Shropshire “remains the only county in England without a direct rail connection to London” (Shropshire Council newsroom, 8 October).

Where the money comes from

The plan says the council has been allocated about £229 million from the Department for Transport. Capital runs from 2026/27 to 2029/30 and revenue to 2028/29. The money is not ring-fenced but must be spent on transport.

Bar chart of Shropshire Council's Department for Transport funding allocation by year: £48.7 million in 2026/27, £55.7 million in 2027/28, £60.1 million in 2028/29 and £64.7 million in 2029/30, about £229 million in total.
Integrated Transport Fund and Bus Services Fund allocations by year, from Table 1-1 of the draft implementation plan. Chart by Shropshire Today
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Year Integrated Transport Fund Bus Services Fund Total
2026/27 £45.8m £2.9m £48.7m
2027/28 £52.8m £2.9m £55.7m
2028/29 £57.2m £2.9m £60.1m
2029/30 £64.7m none listed £64.7m

The Integrated Transport Fund figures combine the plan’s capital and revenue lines. The Bus Services Fund is revenue only and is not listed beyond 2028/29.

The plan puts the full cost of Shropshire’s bus improvement programme at about £73.5 million, roughly a third of the total. None of the schemes in the first five years costs £50 million or more, the level at which the Department for Transport would take over approval.

How to have your say

You can fill in the online questionnaire on the council’s Get Involved page, which also carries the full core strategy and a summary. Paper copies and accessible formats are available from ShropshireLTP@shropshire.gov.uk, and the summary is in local libraries.

Remaining drop-in events:

  • Bridgnorth: Monday 12 October, 1pm to 6pm, Bridgnorth Library
  • Shrewsbury: Wednesday 14 October, 3pm to 8pm, St Mary’s Church
  • Bishop’s Castle: Monday 19 October, 11am to 4pm, Town Hall
  • Whitchurch: Thursday 22 October, 10am to 3pm, St Alkmund’s Parish Church
  • Ludlow: Tuesday 3 November, 2pm to 7pm, Ludlow Assembly Rooms
  • Market Drayton: Monday 9 November, midday to 5pm, Festival Drayton Centre

Online webinars run on Tuesday 20 October, noon to 1pm, and Monday 2 November, 6pm to 7pm. Sign-up links are in the council’s release. The Oswestry drop-in took place on Saturday 10 October.

What it means for you

  • If you drive into Shrewsbury, bus gates and enforcement cameras are the two proposals with the most direct effect. Neither names a street yet, so the consultation is the point at which to say which roads should or should not be considered.
  • If you rely on the bus, look at the Park and Ride and Connect On Demand sections. Evening and weekend Park and Ride is only “under consideration”.
  • In Oswestry and Gobowen, the line study is a study. It does not commit anyone to reopening the railway.
  • Nothing here is decided. Each scheme would still need its own design, funding and, for traffic orders, a separate statutory consultation.

The council’s parking review, which goes to Cabinet on 14 October, is a separate decision; our story on the proposed charges has the detail. Current closures are on our roadworks and travel page.

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