LUDLOW’S public transport champions say that the new bus stop in the town centre is welcome but only a start.

They say that Ludlow needs more bus stops and want people in the town to have a say about where they are put. The Ludlow 21 sustainable transport group says that the town still lags behind when it comes to facilities for people using bus services.

It is claimed that even with the new shelter, Ludlow has just one for every 3,500 people compared with one for every 500 in Shrewsbury and one for every 300 in Craven Arms.

“We have, at last, got a bus shelter in Corve Street – the busiest bus stop in Ludlow, serving as it does, not only the town services but all the services going north out of town,” said Denise Thompson from the Ludlow 21 Sustainable Transport Group.

“Townspeople, especially Ludlow 21, have been campaigning for a shelter there for a long time but the odds seemed stacked against our town. We have been poorly served by our County Council – in Shrewsbury there is one shelter for about 500 people while in Ludlow it was one for every 5,000, now one for every 3,500 people. Even so, we still trail behind Craven Arms which has five shelters – one for every 300 people.

“We should all congratulate our Town Council for going ahead and funding the shelter themselves, with no help at all from our County Council.

“I understand that our councillors are now keen to install more shelters in our town which is excellent but, the question is – where? There are so many bus stops where shelters are badly needed.

“We need to raise our Town Council’s profile, to make the larger community understand that it can be an effective body in its own right. Most importantly, we need to encourage more people to step forward to become councillors themselves. Fresh blood and enthusiasm in our Council could transform our town.”