P-05-767 A487 Trunk Road Through Tre-Taliesin – Correspondence from the Petitioner to the Committee, 07.03.18

Dear Petitions Committee

Thank you for sending the Minister’s further response and for again considering our Petition. The Minister’s response is immensely disappointing leaving us feeling disenfranchised and devalued. It also illustrates a startling failure of the democratic process in Wales.

Briefly, you will recall that we had asked to meet with the Minister’s “Agent” so that we could share the evidence-based findings resulting from this local community’s extensive consultation activities on road safety on the Trunk Rd through Taliesin. This will include the findings of the fully embedded community speed camera watch programme operated in partnership with Dyfed Powys Police.  Our endeavours have taken place over the past 18months and can also be traced back to public demonstrations along this hazardous stretch of road since the 1990s.

Our aim has always been to help inform the Welsh Government in its future planning for road safety along this stretch of the Trunk Rd. We had originally been told by the Welsh Government that this stretch of road is under review within the current financial year. Now, it is apparent from the Minister’s latest letter that this may take three years and his stated intention that there will be consultation with local communities, seems vague, and in our situation effectively ignores vital contemporary evidence collected by the local community.

How on earth can the Welsh Government expect to undertake an accurate risk assessment if it avoids consulting with the community experiencing road safety issues every single day and who have themselves carefully analysed the current local circumstances. We have clear evidence that there is excessive speed on a frequent and daily basis on this road, with 80% of all traffic exceeding 36mph in a 30mph speed limit, with speeds recorded in excess of 60mph at a junction within the 30mph speed limit. Should there be a serious accident along the Trunk Rd then the government will surely become exposed as it has not to listened and discussed with the local community in a reasonable and timely fashion and therefore has not carried out its duty of care.

A further impact of failing with us has been to heighten the concern and tension within the local community and no doubt increases the cost to the tax-payer of an unnecessarily prolonged process. The common-sense approach to have taken with our local community would have been to have met with us on-site, struck up a constructive dialogue and advise of the next steps and plans.

Instead, we are left with little faith in the competence of the welsh government. This loss of faith has been further compounded in the past few weeks whereby the welsh government installed a speed camera and recording straps at the very point where extensive street lighting works were being carried out and traffic lights were in place. Speed was therefore at a stop or crawl at this point. The workmen carrying out the lighting works were as perplexed by this as we were in the village. A little while after installing them, the camera and recording straps were removed presumably as someone had recognised the error, which inevitably had caused unnecessary public cost and again highlights the need of the welsh government to engage, listen and consider the local community’s evidence.

We are sorry to have to bother the Petitions Committee again on this matter, but you will sense our frustration and concern that the Minister seems unable to grasp that his ‘Agent’ must engage with the local community if they are to undertake accurate risk assessment and effective which safeguards the members of our community.

Yours sincerely

Antony Foulkes

On behalf of the Taliesin community