THE son of a popular Llanbadarn councillor who was killed in a crash whilst cycling two years ago has said the sentence given to the driver who hit him ‘was not harsh enough’.

Cllr Paul James died whilst cycling between Comins Coch and Aberystwyth on the A487 in April 2019.

He was struck by Lowri Powell from Penrhyncoch’s car and fell into the road before being fatally hit by another car.

Ms Powell told the court that she had been temporarily been blinded by the sun, meaning she didn’t see Cllr James on his bicycle.

Last September, Ms Powell was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years and disqualified from driving for 12 months.

In an interview that aired last night on S4C’s current affairs programme, Y Byd ar Bedwar, Cllr James’ son Cameron said he felt harsher sentences would make drivers think twice about how they behave around cyclists.

When asked how he feels towards Powell, Cameron said: “Angry. I don’t know if she understands how hard it is for us (the family) living without him.”

Asked about the sentence, Cameron added: “It’s not harsh enough. I don’t understand how somebody can take somebody else’s life and just get a suspended sentence. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

He added: “I’ll never forget that day. I remember the moment my mother called me and I didn’t believe it. It’s something you never expect to hear.

“My dad was a funny, lovely person who wanted to help everybody and do a lot for the community. I think about him every day.

"I never got the chance to say goodbye to my Dad and that’s so difficult for me.

“The home is so quiet now.”

Last year saw 96 cyclists killed or seriously injured in Wales.

Climate Change Minister Lee Waters, who is responsible for active transport, says cycling in Wales is safe and has significant health benefits.

Mr Waters told the programme: “Even though we’ve had a massive increase in the number of people cycling over the last year due to lockdown we haven’t seen as you might expect a similar proportionate rise in the number of casualties which is very encouraging.

"We do have a problem with the behaviour of some drivers and this is partly cultural. Because so few people in this country cycle, drivers don’t have the experience of what it feels like on a bike.

"We’ve created, in this country, a culture of us and them where the driver somehow feels emboldened in this dangerous box of steel to do what they like and that does require confronting their behaviour and prosecuting dangerous driving.”

Y Byd ar Bedwar, available with English language subtitles, is available on BBC iPlayer and S4C Clic.