AM welcomes council action to stop village's rat run

Residents in a village near Llangollen blighted by speeding breathed a sigh of relief after an AM secured assurances traffic-calming measures will be introduced to prevent it becoming ‘a rat run’.

Councillors in Pentredwr asked Clwyd South AM Ken Skates to allay their long-running fears about drivers using the community as a high-speed cut-through.

Denbighshire County Council has now confirmed that speed bumps should be installed before the Horseshoe Pass closes later this year.

Labour AM Mr Skates (pictured left) said: “Pentredwr has long been used as a short cut by drivers going down behind the Ponderosa instead of over the main Horseshoe Pass. They go dangerously fast on a far narrower, steeper route which has no footpaths.

“Put simply, Pentredwr was in danger of becoming a rat run if something wasn’t done, as the upcoming closure of the Horseshoe Pass would just lead to more and more vehicles hammering through the village at stupid speeds.

“This has been a real worry for residents and the community council for a long time, so I’m delighted to have secured an assurance that Denbighshire County Council will address it.”

In his response to Mr Skates’s urgent letter to the council, chief executive Dr Mohammed Mehmet said: “In relation to speeding traffic, we have secured county capital funding to implement a traffic-calming scheme within the village of Pentredwr this financial year.

“If the county councillors, community council and residents are in agreement with the proposal to implement speed humps within the village, it is hoped that the works can be tendered and implemented prior to the closure of the Horseshoe Pass.”

... and news of Pontfadog speed clampdown

* Mr Skates has praised police after a commitment to clamp down on speeding through a village in the Ceiriog Valley.

The Clwyd South AM has secured a pledge from North Wales Chief Constable Mark Polin that extra patrols will be deployed to enforce the 30mph limit through Pontfadog.

Mr Skates has previously urged Wrexham Council to do ‘everything possible’ to improve road safety outside the village school after being contacted by constituent Gayle Watkin, who said parents were growing increasingly  concerned about speeding.

He said: “There have been numerous attempts to get something done about this problem, but residents’ pleas have previously fallen on deaf ears.

“I’m pleased that North Wales Police has agreed there is a problem and that Mr Polin has promised that action is imminent, and I hope to see Wrexham Council follow suit in the not-too-distant future.”

Mr Polin’s letter to the AM stated: “Arrangements have been made for additional patrols to enforce speeding limits on the B4500. A speed survey at the location has been approved with a view to GoSafe enforcing at the location in the future.”

Mr Skates has asked the council to consider flashing signs either side of the village, speed bumps and a barrier outside the school gate as there is at present only a narrow pavement separating the grounds from the main road.

The council said: “The B4500, and in particular that length of this road within Pontfadog will be considered for such works during the 2015/16 financial year.”

Mr Skates added: “The headteacher, Miss Atkinson-Corben, and the school governors also want to see something done about this, so I am encouraged that we’re finally seeing some action to protect the children of Pontfadog.”