Clwyd West MS Darren Millar has called for an urgent update on trunk road safety, highlighting the repeated calls over the years for a speed limit reduction and improvements to road safety on the A494 which goes through Llanferres.

Residents are desperate to see the speed reduced on this stretch and have warned that it is only a matter of time before there is a serious accident or fatality.

Darren has raised the matter on a number of occasions in the Senedd over the years, most recently in February this year when he again urged Minister to look in to reducing the speed limit.

In today’s Business Statement, calling for a Welsh Government Statement on speeding on the trunk road network, he raised the matter again.

He said:

“There's an issue in my own constituency in relation to the A494 trunk road going through the village of Llanferres in Denbighshire. Residents there have been calling for a speed limit reduction and improvements to road safety now for many years, but there is simply no progress actually happening.

“We've got a situation where the speed through the village, according to the eighty-fifth percentile test, is 53 mph, and this is at a time when the speed on non-trunk roads through similar villages is 20 mph. Now, clearly, that speed through the village is an anomaly. It needs to be addressed.

“There has been some work that has been done by the Trunk Road Agency, looking at the traffic signs and road markings through the village, but even though they agreed that some action was even needed on that, there is nothing actually being scheduled.

“So, can I ask for an urgent update on trunk road safety, what is being done to address anomalies like this, so that villagers in Llanferres and elsewhere in similar situations can feel safe? And in addition to that, can I also ask for a clear timescale for the implementation of measures once they have been agreed by the trunk road agents, as is the case in this particular village?”

Responding, the Trefnydd, Jane Hutt MS thanked Darren Millar for raising the issue and for bringing it to the attention of the Welsh Government on previous occasions.  

She added:

“I believe you might have had Ministers and former First Ministers actually visiting this village, and it is important that the Trunk Road Agency is looking at this.

“Obviously, the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport will be also very much aware of this, and hopefully this will be resolved. I think this is an issue that probably is across the whole of Wales, with those reviews that have been undertaken by local authorities in terms of speeding. But this is a trunk road, and this needs to be addressed by the Trunk Road Agency.”

Speaking after the meeting, Darren added:

“Whilst the Trefnydd’s response was encouraging, it is vital that we ensure fast action on this before someone is seriously injured or worse.”