Llynclys Crossroads has been known to local residents as an ‘accident hotspot’ for as long as anyone can remember, and Llanyblodwel Parish Council were grateful to recently have the opportunity to meet with representatives of National Highways to discuss the outcomes of the recent safety study.
Llanyblodwel’s Clerk, Amy Jones, attended the meeting, along with Helen Morgan MP, Shropshire Councillor Vince Hunt and the Clerk and Chair of Llanymynech and Pant Community Council.
The meeting focused on the Safety Study which was commissioned by the National Highways Route Manager for Shropshire to assess possible traffic signal or roundabout options for consideration at A483 Llynclys junction following requests from stakeholders. Whilst the study is a confidential document, for use internally by National Highways, the outcome of the study was shared and concluded that the four options developed and modelled do not represent a value for money investment via the SAR and it is recommended that no further development of these options is undertaken. They confirmed that the junction continues to be monitored via the annual collision analysis for the Midlands region and if the collision numbers or severity increase further investigation be undertaken to see if further improvements are justified.
The meeting gave stakeholders an opportunity to raise questions about these findings and to push for alternative options to be explored.
The safety of the bus stop at the junction was raised and this has been a long standing concern for the Parish Council, as it is used by secondary school children on a daily basis. National Highways confirmed that there is work currently in the pipeline to improve this. The issue of reduced visibility when exiting the B road was also raised and National Highways confirmed that a further safety study would need to be carried out to look into how this could be improved, now that larger scale projects have been ruled out.
The following points were put forward to National Highways for consideration:
- Improved signage and road markings to help drivers understand the junction more clearly.
- Addressing the risk that undertaking and flashing poses.
- The speed of traffic travelling on the A495 through the junction and whether this could be dropped to 30mph?
- Engineering options including the possibility of a raised area where pedestrians can safely cross.
- The possibility of a speed camera.
- Improved lighting around the junction.
National Highways confirmed that these are all things that they will now go away and explore as the aim is to find a solution that is achievable and will reach the desired outcomes.
Llanyblodwel Parish Clerk, Amy Jones, commented: “National Highways confirmed that the information being fed into them over the years, from the community and stakeholders, has been integral to getting the project to this point, as the data alone would not have instigated a Safety Study to be conducted. Now that we are at this point, the Parish Council will continue to push for the improvements needed to make this junction safer for both road users and pedestrians”.
A new study will be conducted in the new financial year and it is hoped that by Summer 2023, there will be another report available for discussion.