Madam,

We refer to the letter on road safety in the 16 February edition of the Cambrian News by Cllr Lorrae Jones-Southgate with regard to calls for the reintroduction of a road crossing near the Southgate roundabout.

However, past problems relating to a previous road crossing located nearby at the top of Penybont Hill may not be known to Cllr Jones-Southgate as she was not a councillor representing Penparcau at the time. This former crossing had to be removed and replaced 15 years ago by an underpass at considerable cost to the taxpayer due to road safety issues concerning heavy goods vehicles having to stop and start on the steep incline of the hill. This caused some HGVs to burn out clutches, and vehicles were forced to reverse back down the hill against the traffic flow to Penybont Bridge before re-attempting the climb. With traffic congestion also affecting traffic climbing Rhydyfelin Hill from the opposite direction it is important to get the balance right in achieving both the safety of pedestrians and also managing a safe level of traffic flow on this stretch of busy strategic road, by the implementation of appropriate speed-calming measures, additional high visibility speed warning signage and a reduction in the speed limit to 20mph. We believe this would be a more effective and safer option compared to bringing traffic to a complete halt and risking a tail of traffic backing on to the top of Penybont Hill and a return to HGV chaos on hill climbs. The existing underpass and nearby pelican crossing 100 metres away, although a slightly longer walk, already provide a completely safe passage for groups of schoolchildren when they occasionally visit the church for special events.

Yours etc

Steve Davies and Dylan Lewis

Plaid Cymru Ceredigion County Council candidates for Penparcau.