Hundreds sign petition to make a Llanelli road safer

Almost 700 people have signed a petition to make the B4308 Cwmbach Road safer after a series of accidents on the Llanelli to Trimsaran road.

The petition was set up by Nia and Ed Mansel Lewis, who own the adjacent Stradey Estate.

It is claimed that the stretch of road is too narrow for the volume and speed of traffic that use the route, which also does not have a pavement.

The road, which is on a main bus route, particularly affects residents of Cwmbach, Pen-y-mynydd and Trimsaran who use it as their main access for Llanelli and the M4.

The Mansel Lewis’ say they have offered Carmarthenshire Council a strip of land from Denham Avenue to the Stradey Woods junction free of charge to allow road widening work to take place.

They are also calling for pavements and street lighting to be installed and a 30mph speed limit introduced.

On the petition, Ed Mansel Lewis said: “The highways is less than 5.5m wide at the western end of Cwmbach Rd, and yet there are centre lines and edge markings provided. This gives road users a false impression that the road is wide enough to safely accommodate the width of two passing vehicles, which is not the case.

“The Stradey Estate have notified the council that the highway is less than 5.5m in width in places, and has offered to gift (at no cost) a strip of land along the entire length of the southern edge of the Cwmbach Rd between No. 60 Cwmbach Rd and the entrance to Stradey Castle, in order for the highway to be widened, for a pavement with street lamps to be built and for the stone wall to be re-built further back from the road.”

Carmarthenshire Council have responded to the Lewis’ saying “requests of this nature for highways infrastructure and road safety improvements make a far greater call on their resources than budgets can realistically deliver”.

Residents signing the petition have commented with their concerns about road safety in the area.

Sharon Osbourne said: “This is a dangerous area and I’m surprised there hasn’t been any deaths yet, or is this what it will take before anything is done”.

Zara Barrett-Evans added: “This area has been dangerous since I can remember, when I was a child I recall many accidents happening on this road. Each year our storms are getting more aggressive & trees falling are now more frequent & I fear for everyone’s safety driving through there, myself included.

“I won’t drive through there if the wind is too strong. If nothing is done there will more severe accidents to come with loss of life so I’d love to see the area made safe for everyone & think this is of high priority.”

Sharon Thomas said: “I avoid driving along this road… it scares me. Fast & narrow!”

In response to the petition, Cllr. Edward Thomas, Carmarthenshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services said: “Carmarthenshire County Council works continuously with partner agencies, including the police and emergency services, to improve road safety within the County and to promote and encourage sustainable travel. This work includes studying accident data to focus our resources on areas where we can achieve the best outcomes for road users.

“The offer of a strip of land from Stradey Estate for a road-widening project is very much appreciated. Widening this section of road would require quite expensive engineering measures due to the topography and nature of the road and therefore the merits of the proposed project have to be carefully assessed in accordance with our policy, and considered in relation to other project options available.”

(Lead image: Ed Mansel Lewis)