‘Wild West’ valley road under fire as lorry traffic continues without limit

Nicholas Thomas, Local Democracy Reporter

No limits have been placed on the number of lorries travelling along a valley route some locals have branded the “Wild West” for traffic problems.

Residents of Brynawel and Wattsville held a meeting earlier this month to discuss the safety, noise and pollution issues they say are linked to round-the-clock lorry movements.

Ynysddu ward councillors Jan Jones and Janine Reed said “urgent action” was needed to improve road safety for residents “before someone is seriously hurt”.

At a Caerphilly County Borough Council meeting, on Tuesday April 7, Cllr Reed said data showed lorry traffic had increased along the B4251 through Wattsville and made up roughly one in twelve vehicle movements.

Cllr Nigel George, the cabinet member for highways, said the road was subject to 7.5-tonne weight restrictions “except for access” to local businesses.

He said the restriction was meant to “prevent large vehicles from using the valley as a through route”, but allowed traders based in the valley to “receive deliveries and operate effectively”.

“There is no limit on the number of HGVs (heavy goods vehicles) permitted to use the road, provided that they require legitimate access,” he told the meeting.

Cllr George said “a significant volume” of lorry traffic “is to be expected” locally, owing to the size of the nearby Nine Mile Point Industrial Estate and the B4251 being its only access route.

But he said the council had introduced “a number of safety improvements” including reviews of parking restrictions in the industrial estate, new warning signs, and traffic-calming measures.

Those measures “reflect the council’s ongoing commitment to improving road safety and traffic management within the Ynysddu ward”, he added.

At the recent residents’ meeting, attendees complained the speed bumps in Wattsville had simply encouraged some drivers to swerve onto the other side of the road in a bid to avoid them.

Cllr George acknowledged local concerns around speeding but said that, and the lorry weight restrictions, were both the responsibility of the police.

He also challenged Cllr Reed’s claims that lorry traffic had increased, telling the meeting “variations in traffic levels from year to year do not provide any practical value, as HGV movements will naturally fluctuate in line with business activity, which is largely outside the council’s control”.

He also said the council’s ability to carry out further traffic surveys had been hampered because “the traffic management team does not currently have the funding or resources to carry out routine monitoring of the highway network”.

Further surveys would only be considered in cases where new developments or roads would lead to “significant changes” for traffic patterns, he added.