IT IS “only a matter of time” before a pedestrian is seriously hurt at Machynlleth’s Penrallt Street, a businessman has warned.

The warning comes from Geoff Young, of Penrallt Gallery Bookshop, after he said a pedestrian with a pram narrowly avoided being struck by a lorry driving through the town. In response, town councillors have voted to back road safety measures at the spot.

Mr Young warned that he has seen “shocking examples” of pedestrians walking on the road, which does not have a pavement on one side, and a serious accident was “inevitable”.

Cllr Michael Williams said he had raised concerns with the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency, and an officer made recommendations that a gap between barriers outside the Museum of Modern Art should be closed; that a tourism sign for MOMA should be moved to the opposite side of the road, and a warning sign that pedestrians may be in the road should be erected.

Representatives of MOMA said they were against the gap in the railings being blocked and they would rather the sign remained in the current location.

But Cllr Gareth Jones said he supported the officer’s recommendations. He said: “I think public safety has to come before all other considerations.”

Cllr Williams, though, said he would support moving the sign and erecting new warning signs, but he would back MOMA’s objection to blocking the gap in the railings. He said: “That was put there for a reason.”

In a vote, councillors agreed to support all three recommendations from the Trunk Road Agency.

See the full story in this week’s Machynlleth & Llanidloes edition of the Cambrian News