Cameras have been installed in Shrewsbury town centre for a second time to gather more information about traffic journeys as part of a new strategy for how people travel around the town.
The Automatic Number Plate Recognition Surveys (ANPR) are taking place around Shrewsbury from Thursday to Saturday (September 8 to 10), with the cameras due to be removed on Monday, September 12.
Members of the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership, which is leading work on the town’s movement and public realm strategy, say the cameras are gathering important data.
Councillor Ed Potter, Shropshire Council’s deputy leader and representative on Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership, said: “The cameras are fully integrated, home office compliant equipment, which are also used by police forces across the UK. Any personal data collected as part of the survey will be held in line with GDPR requirements by the relevant parties.
“We previously used them in May, and this second monitoring period will give us even more accurate information about traffic travelling through the town centre.
“The Big Town Plan Partnership is working with nationally-renowned transport planners and designers, PJA, on a new movement and public realm strategy for Shrewsbury, and the data collected by these cameras will be vital.
“Understanding how and why traffic moves through the town centre is an essential part of the strategy, along with other information including public transport patronage data, walking and cycling data, and outputs from strategic traffic models of the local area.”
The team from PJA has been conducting research and speaking with a range of community groups and organisations over the past few months. A report outlining their recommendations is due to be published later this year.
For more information about the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan, visit www.shrewsburybigtownplan.org
