News

17/10/2022

Proposed pedestrian and cycle path from Abergwili to Ffairfach

Carmarthenshire County Council has published its exciting proposals, within the Tywi Valley Path scheme, to create a shared use path for pedestrians and cyclists between Abergwili and Ffairfach, Llandeilo. The proposed path would connect communities via a safe, mainly off-road route and could be used for leisure purposes, commuting to and from work and accessing local services.

The Council has published a Planning Pre Application Consultation (PAC) to gather people’s opinions on the proposed development of the Eastern Phase of the Tywi Valley Path, which will look to develop a new combined Pedestrian and Cycle Path between Ffairfach and Nantgaredig, along with associated engineering and landscaping works.

The consultation will run until 31st October and is available online with hard copies available at Llandeilo Library and Abergwili Museum.

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13/10/2022

Check your tyres are winter ready

North Wales Police are urging drivers to ensure their tyres are fit for purpose as the winter months approach.

October is National Tyre Safety Month – organised by charity TyreSafe, the annual campaign encourages road users to regularly check their tyres on a regular basis.

Sergeant Leigh Evans of the Roads Policing Unit said: “Making sure your tyres meet the required standards isn’t just a legal requirement, it’s also key to ensuring your safety on the road. So with the winter months only around the corner it is essential that people are safe when out and about on the roads.

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12/10/2022

“We now feel safer to walk to school” Caldicot school pupils tell Deputy Minister

Children at Durand Primary School, in Caldicot, were excited to tell the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, with a responsibility for transport, Lee Waters, how the new 20mph speed limit in their town has given them more freedom to walk, cycle or scoot to school, when he visited their school earlier today.

Caldicot, in Monmouthshire, was one of the communities chosen to take part in phase one of the programme to lower the default national speed limit on residential roads and busy pedestrian streets from 30mph to 20mph. The rest of Wales will follow in its footsteps from September 2023 after the new legislation – a UK first - was given the green light in Senedd earlier this summer.

Since the new 20mph speed limit has been in place, the charity Living Streets has been working closely with the school to better understand people’s travel behaviours and attitudes. Part of this work involved access to the Welsh Government funded WOW tracker scheme - which encourages families and children to reduce car journeys and increase walking rates. In just six months the school has already seen a significant increase in the number of pupils travelling to school sustainably - from 48% to 69% - with pupils and parents explaining that thanks to the reduced speed limit they now ‘feel safer to walk to school’, ‘find it easier to cross the road’ and the overall experience is ‘more pleasant, calmer and quieter’.

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12/10/2022

School Sign Competition for 20mph

In September 2023 the speed limit on roads where people live, or regularly walk and cycle will change. A new default speed limit of 20mph (instead of 30mph now) will come in. The new speed limit will help reduce collisions on our roads, make our streets nicer places to be and encourage more people to walk and cycle.

Wales is the first nation in the UK to make the change to 20mph and you can be part of it. We are asking you to use your artistic skills to design a sign which could be seen all across Wales! This new sign, to be used outside schools, needs to remind drivers of the importance of driving within the 20mph speed limit, helping reduce the danger to children and families using the road.

Prizes to be won…

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12/10/2022

Gwent Police: Operation Utah

Over 40 vehicles were stopped in Newport this week in a crackdown on motoring offences.

Operation Utah aims to identify vehicles that are being driven illegally or aren’t road safe.

The road safety operation took place on Monday 10th October, and included officers from Gwent Police's roads policing unit, the dog section, rural crime team, response officers and the special constabulary. Officers were also joined by partners from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

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11/10/2022

Plans in place for potential weather impact on Menai crossing

 Plans are in place to deal with the potential impact of winter storms on HGVs travelling to and from Anglesey while there are weight restrictions on the Menai Suspension bridge.

In severe storms, when the wind exceeds a certain speed, the Britannia Bridge is closed to high-sided vehicles. Vehicles are normally diverted to the Menai Suspension Bridge; however, this will not be possible while weight restrictions are in place.

The closure of the Britannia Bridge to high-sided vehicles only happens in exceptional circumstances. In the last five years, the bridge has been closed to high-sided vehicles on average seven times a year.

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07/10/2022

First organisations to complete the Cardiff Healthy Travel Charter announced

The first seven organisations to complete the actions in the Cardiff Healthy Travel Charter were announced at an event in City Hall, Cardiff on Wednesday 6 October.

The organisations were congratulated on successfully putting into place the 14 commitments which support their staff and visitors to walk, cycle and take public transport, despite all the challenges faced over the last 3 years.

The Cardiff Healthy Travel Charter was launched in 2019. By supporting staff to travel more sustainably, signatory organisations are helping to improve staff health and well-being, reduce air pollution, and cut carbon emissions.

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28/09/2022

Safer Horses, Safer Riders, Safer Drivers Evening

The British Horse Society's north east Wales committee will be hosting a safety information event at Venue Cymru, Llandudno, on Thursday, 6 October 2022.

Director of Safety at the BHS Alan Hiscox, will be joined by representatives of North Wales Police, North Wales Horse Watch and Conwy County Borough Council’s Road Safety Officer, Julie Burchill.

The presentation will focus on vulnerable road users, covering issues such as:

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23/09/2022

Driver theory refresher workshops in Powys

Mature drivers are being given the opportunity to revise and improve their road knowledge by taking advantage of a free, online driver theory course, organised by the county council. The newly updated course will cover the recent changes to the Highway Code and how these effect road users.

Powys County Council's Road Safety Unit will be holding its Driver Theory Refresher workshop on the following days:

  • Wednesday 19th October 2022
  • Wednesday 16th November 2022
  • Wednesday 14th December 2022

The course is a two-hour, online informal workshop designed to update your knowledge of the road in an ever-changing environment, thus helping improve your driving skills and keep you driving safely.

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21/09/2022

Road Safety Awareness and Queen Elizabeth Memorial Ride

Brynna Taff Ely Bridleways RCT, a local equestrian group affiliated with The British Horse Society, held a Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Horse Ride in the Tonyrefail area on Sunday 18th September.

47 horses and one cyclist rode through the streets of Tonyrefail and surrounding areas along with 8 walkers. All wore black armbands and a black ribbon, and a minute's silence was observed in honour of the late Queen who was patron of The British Horse Society.

Remarkably, the youngest horse rider taking part was just 4 years old and the eldest horse rider was 84!

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