A Tremadog man has blasted Gwynedd Council for what he says is a “disgusting” response to his concerns over parking in the village.

In the Cambrian News two weeks ago, resident Kevin Tiernan spoke of his family’s ongoing nightmare, thanks to drivers parking cars on the square.

Gwynedd Council responded this week, saying: “Tremadog Square is unique. Since the new bypass opened, the square has changed from forming part of a strategic highway network to a local link road.

“The square hosts many local businesses, and due to their popularity and success the demand for parking in the area has increased.

“Road safety is a priority for us. However, before the council decides to place parking restrictions it is also essential that we consider the effects of the measure on local businesses.

“Officers believed that the road safety case for placing parking restrictions did not outweigh the potential adverse effects the restrictions could have on local businesses in the area.

“Officers are still open to discussing potential road safety improvement measures in the area with the community.”

Kevin said this response is “disgusting” and fears the issue will lead to a fatal accident, and his elderly parents will be the victims. He said of the response: “I thought it was disgusting. They’ve put businesses before public safety - that’s black and white.

“These aren’t parking spaces, they’re not meant for parking. People don’t park there because there aren’t any other spaces, it’s because they’re too lazy to walk from where the spaces are.

“My mum is disabled, she can’t traverse the pavements on her buggy, she needs the central reservation to get to the shop. It’s like sod the locals, sod the residents - as long as the businesses are happy. My mum and dad have been in their house for 40 years, way before any businesses. As far as I’m concerned, the public should be put first.

“I know one day I’m going to get a call from my dad telling me ‘your mum’s been hit,’ or ‘someone’s just come into the back of my car’. I want a meeting with the person who wrote that statement, I want them to justify that when they’re standing here. The solution is simple, paint a yellow diamond grid on it, and police can enforce a no parking rule. It’s simple.”

Kevin’s father, Michael, who has lived on the square for over 40 years said he is “afraid to go out” because of the parking problem.

Phillip Price, who has lived in Tremadog for 30 years, said the situation shows Tremadog is “a victim of its own success”.

“I remember what Tremadog used to be like before the bypass was built,” he said. “We used to have a lot of traffic ebbing and flowing. I think the parking problem has gotten worse since the bypass. Before that, traffic was so constant that people noticed it and were more considerate.

“The other thing is that in places like Porthmadog, there are a lot of pay and display parking spots, so you’ll often find people parking in Tremadog and ride sharing. It all has a knock on effect, if cars are parked in these ‘normal’ parking areas, that means there aren’t so many spaces around town.

“The other thing is that there are no clearly defined lines, so you can have one car taking up the space of two cars.

“I’ve seen a car parked on the side of the central reservation, actually on the road itself. Buses and cars had to swerve to get around it.”

Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts and the area MS, Mabon ap Gwynfor, were asked for their thoughts on the issue raised by Mr Tiernan.

They told the Cambrian News that they hope something can be done to satisfy residents, visitors and business owners in the village.

In a joint statement, Mrs Saville Roberts and Mr ap Gwynfor said: “We understand there is renewed consensus amongst local councillors and calls from residents for action to be taken to tackle recurrent parking concerns on the square in Tremadog, which gets worse during the summer months.

“We know that local county councillor June Jones is pursuing this matter with Gwynedd Council in a bid to find a practical solution, one which both addresses the immediate safety concerns of residents whilst also ensuring the interests of local businesses are safeguarded.

“It is therefore quite reasonable to ask Gwynedd Council to explore all feasible options to deal with the problem, both in terms of sufficiently addressing parking concerns and the wider needs of local businesses on the square, especially during the busy summer months.

“It should be appreciated that any proposal to address the problem should have both the safety of local residents and road users, and the ability of local businesses to maximise trading potential as determining factors.”