Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Funding of almost half a million pounds has been secured for road safety projects in Llanelli and the Amman / Gwendraeth area. The council has received a total of £445,500 from the Welsh Government’s Road Safety Capital Grant which supports road casualty reduction schemes across Wales. It includes £225,000 for a route treatment scheme in Llanelli on the B4297 between the Halfway lights and Talyclun in Llangennech and a grant of £220,500 for a similar scheme on the B4297 between Tycroes and Gorslas. Both schemes will provide reduced speed limits, enhanced warning signs, driver feedback signs, traffic calming, traffic islands, junction visibility improvements, improved crossing points and upgraded red light cameras. Head of Highways and Transport Steve Pilliner said: “I am delighted that the council has secured this funding so that both these schemes can be carried out this financial year. “These schemes will significantly improve safety for both road users and pedestrians along these ...

More rural communities in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion are to benefit from Bwcabus. The existing area of the award-winning bus service has been extended to a number of new towns and villages including Llanerchaeron, Llanfair Clydogau, Ffarmers and Ffaldybrennin. Tailored to the needs of its passengers, journeys can be pre-booked allowing people to travel between local towns and villages within the zone or connect to the main line bus services to Aberaeron, Aberystwyth, Cardigan and Carmarthen. The service operates from 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday providing residents with access to healthcare and other key local services, employment and training opportunities and to see family and friends. Bwcabus also has a number of fixed routes that operate on certain days. The new changes came into effect from February 6. Bwcabus is a partnership between Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire county councils. The service has been extended as part of the LINC project with funding through the Welsh Gove...

A new Bwcabus service is being launched in Pembrokeshire, thanks to a grant of almost £1.8million under the LINC project. It will operate mainly in the T5 section between Fishguard and Haverfordwest serving the villages to the east and west of the A40. Expanding Bwcabus into Pembrokeshire will also allow villages such as Trecwn, Puncheston, Maenclochog, and Little Newcastle to benefit from increased opportunities to travel and greater flexibility than is currently available. Bwcabus allows people to travel between local towns and villages within the zone or connect to the main line bus services to travel to places such as Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Cardigan and Narberth. In addition, it offers opportunities to connect rural communities into the rail network with hubs at Clarbeston Road and Clunderwen on the Milford Haven / Fishguard branch line. Bwcabus also has a number of timetabled fixed routes, which do not need to be booked, just turn up and catch the bus as with a regular servic...

Residents in three Carmarthenshire communities are being asked for their views on proposals to create a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists. The council is consulting on Safer Routes in Communities schemes for Carmarthen, Pontyberem and Pencader. These communities were successful at the first stage of the assessment process. Display boards showing details of the schemes will be put up in each of the areas so that people can leave feedback. The comments will form part of a bid to Welsh Government for funding for the schemes to be carried out next year in 2017-18. The council is also consulting directly with local schools, town and community councils and the local members. The Safer Routes in Communities project has been developed to create a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists through the implementation of engineering measures such as cycle routes, cycle paths, traffic calming and educational road safety initiatives. The aim is to shift away from car use for cert...

Parents with children going up to secondary school in September who think they may be entitled to free transport are being urged to apply as soon as possible. The deadline for applications is December 16, the same as the education department’s date for admissions. Anyone who leaves it too late could find that the bus nearest their home is already full and they would have to make their own way to a bus further away from their address; that they would not be allowed to travel on the bus for their ‘transition days’; that if their application is refused and they want to go through the referral process, by leaving it much later they may find that their referral is not determined by the start of the new academic year. Parents with children living in Carmarthenshire but moving to out of county secondary schools must apply in the same way. Executive Board Member for Transport Cllr Hazel Evans said: “I would urge parents to please apply by the deadline and not leave it too late. The sooner th...

Welsh Government funding has ensured the daily return of the 701 bus service between Carmarthen, Cross Hands, Swansea and Cardiff, launching on December 5 - just in time for Christmas. The T1c service will run Monday to Saturday from Carmarthen central bus station affording a full afternoon in Cardiff with the return bus leaving Cardiff Customhouse Street at 4.40pm. The bus comes from Aberystwyth at 7.40am calling at Aberaeron, Lampeter and Pencader as service T1 with no change of bus required at Carmarthen for the ongoing journey to Cardiff. The return journey follows the same route in reverse with again no change of bus necessary. Carmarthenshire County Council's executive board member for environment and transport services, Cllr Hazel Evans, said: “The service will continue into the New Year but with funding approved for six months by Welsh Government because of requests made of them. It is important the service is used well to enable it to be sustained.” Link Bus timetables ...

A total of 56 drivers were stopped by children from across Carmarthenshire for speeding outside their schools. Pupils from Ysgol Cae’r Felin in Pencader, Dafen, Cross Hands, Pembrey and Drefach primary schools are taking action to slow down motorists. They were joined by officers from the council’s road safety unit as well as officers from Dyfed-Powys Police and the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and used a Speed Indicator Device to find out what speed passing motorists were travelling. The device flashes their speed along with a happy face if they are within the limit or a sad face if they are over the limit. Offending drivers were given the option of speaking to the children to explain why they were speeding or receive a £100 fine and three penalty points. Pupils in Cae’r Felin stopped 17 drivers and spoke to 16 of them; in Dafen three cars were stopped and children spoke to two of the drivers. A total of 18 cars were pulled over in Cross Hands and 17 drivers spoken to;...

The public are being asked for their view on plans to improve traffic congestion at the intersection between Wind Street and Tirydail Lane in Ammanford. The council has received a grant of £400,000 from the Welsh Government’s Local Transport Fund to develop proposals to address congestion at this location and to look at the feasibility of longer term major infrastructure improvements. The Wind Street and Tirydail Lane junction is a vital intersection of routes leading to and from the Upper Amman Valley to the trunk road network and the M4 and there is significant congestion at peak times. A number of studies have been carried out in recent years to look at options to resolve the traffic congestion; and proposals have now been agreed with Welsh Government (as the Highways Authority for Wind Street which is a trunk road) to replace the traffic signals with a roundabout. Pedestrians would still be able to pass safely through the junction using signalised pedestrian crossings. The plans ...

A new directory of bus services in Carmarthenshire has been launched. The latest edition of the council’s Directory of Local Bus Services and Travel Guide is hot off the press. The free guide contains full timetables for each bus route operating in and around Carmarthenshire. It also contains a number of features aimed at helping to plan public transport journeys, including a colour route map, an index to places served by local bus and rail routes, information on discount tickets and travel passes, and contact details. The guide is popular with the public and a total of 15,000 copies of the guide is produced annually by the council to ensure passengers are kept well informed. It is available at most council buildings as well as various other outlets across the county including hospitals, surgeries, dentists, libraries, and tourist information centres. Executive Board Member for Transport Councillor Hazel Evans said: “Thousands of people use public transport to travel across Carmarthe...

Environmental campaigners have today described the Welsh Government’s M4 plans as “not fit for purpose”. Among the concerns raised by Friends of the Earth Cymru in their response [1] to the Welsh Government’s Draft Orders [2] are: · Massively understating the cost of the motorway (through ignoring VAT and inflation) · Serious deficiencies in the sustainable development appraisal · Traffic forecasting that is already grossly out of touch with reality · Long-standing failures to consider non-motorway alternatives · Air quality will be better than legal standards without the new motorway by the time the motorway is proposed to be built · A significant increase in noise for more than 1,200 people with the new motorway; without, a minor increase in noise for 38 people · Ignoring the impact of sea-level rise on the new motorway Gareth Clubb, Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said: “The Welsh Government’s plans are flawed in any n...

Young people in Carmarthenshire are being urged to complete an online survey on a discounted bus travel scheme. Funded by Welsh Government, mytravelpass gives 16-18 year-olds a third discount off their bus travel in Wales. To date over 5,000 people have signed up to the scheme, which is managed by Traveline Cymru. Anyone who completes the survey will be entered into a free prize draw to win a £50 shopping voucher. Link - mytravelpass survey

Bwcabus is working in partnership with health organisations in the Teifi Valley to give patients access to the care they need. Living in rural and sometimes remote areas of Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, many patients struggle to attend appointments. But unlike traditional bus services; Bwcabus is flexible, more widely available, and journeys can be pre-booked to meet people’s needs when attending appointments. Philip Bower, from Llandyfriog, regularly uses the service to attend his surgery in Adpar. He said: “Bwcabus helps me enormously as I don’t drive. Without the service I would have to walk along a busy road with no pavement or even ask neighbours. Bwcabus gives me my independence and I can depend on it being there. “I have also used Bwcabus a number of times to visit a relation in Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth and have myself attended hospital appointments in Cardigan and Carmarthen using Bwcabus to connect with the Cardigan to Carmarthen 460 service. I find the service in...

Restoration work of the western retaining wall of Gelli Onn in Llanelli, costing £70,000, is nearing completion. Carmarthenshire council transport division have source the funding to repair the collapsing bank of earth and stone slabs which had led to the closure of the footway on one side of the busy carriageway. Vice president of Llanelli Chamber of Trade and Commerce Gilmore Jones said:”It is tremendous to see this work being carried out. Having barriers up on one of Llanelli’s main thoroughfares has not been welcoming for visitors.” County executive board member for transport services Cllr Hazel Evans said:” The transport team are to be applauded for finding the money in these difficult times to carry out this work.” The work allows for planting to give a more decorative vista for this main traffic artery into Llanelli. The work replaces a crumbling slabbed area installed by the former Llanelli Borough Council more than 30 years ago.

Branding changes have been made to some vehicles in the upgrading of the 489-strong fleet of Carmarthenshire Council vehicles. As new vehicles are acquired to the fleet, ranging from 26-tonne refuse vehicles to lightweight electric cars, you will be seeing more of the rebranded vehicles rolled out on roads across the county. The updating of the council's considerable fleet will achieve savings of more than half a million pounds over three years. The council will explore the potential for advertising on the back doors of light commercial vehicles to help boost income in these austere times. Already, 20 property maintenance vehicles have the new livery and some gritters have been refurbished with the rebranding in time for the busy winter period. County executive board member for environment transport services, Cllr Hazel Evans, said: “Our latest investment within the vehicle fleet, is the replacement of refuse collection vehicles at a cost of £4.35m, which when they arrive in 2016...

Pupils across Carmarthenshire who want to apply for spare seats on school buses need to act quickly. The deadline for applications is September 25 with places being offered in early October. The cut off date has been brought forward this year due to demand from parents and pupils, so that the spare seats awarded can be used from October onwards. Pupils who qualify for free school transport have priority on the buses, however any spare seats then become available to others who live within the designated walking distance of the school and where there is no public transport available. There is a one off cost of £50 per seat per year. The number of spare seats available is dependent upon schools providing the county council with up to date information on pupils, before the deadline. Executive board member for transport Cllr Hazel Evans said: “We would urge parents who are interested in securing a seat on school transport for their child to act quickly before the deadline. “We would also ...

Catch the Bus Week - a national celebration aimed at raising awareness of the benefits of taking the bus and Bwcabus is getting involved. The aim is to encourage people who don't normally take the bus to give it a try. Carmarthenshire’s rural transport champion Bwcabus is offering new passengers registering during the week running to July 5 a free day ticket on Bwcabus. Register your details at www.bwcabus.info or call our bilingual call centre 01239 801 601 to receive your free ticket. And there is also a ‘Big Kids Day Out’ on Saturday, July 4 when all users – whatever their age - will be able to travel at child fare rates. These tickets can be purchased on Bwcabus vehicles and can be used on 460, T1 and T5 connecting services as well as Bwcabus with just one ticket. Carmarthenshire county executive board member for transport services Cllr Hazel Evans said: “Bwcabus has revolutionised travel opportunities in the more remote parts of Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. “Here’s a cha...

You can let your hair down and not worry about driving home at Jazz@Llandeilo. Late bus tickets are available Saturday and Sunday nights, 20 minutes after each closing act, so approx. 12.20 on Saturday and 10.20 on Sunday. The buses will depart from Llandeilo Car Park towards – Llandovery via Llangadog – Carmarthen (A40) – Ammanford. You can get your tickets at £3.50 per person. Details on the website – http://www.jazzatllandeilo.co.uk/4490/bus-tickets-available-2/

Bus operators have been commended for their high quality service with 100% punctuality at Carmarthen Bus Station. A bus compliance check was recently carried out at the Blue Street station by Bus Users UK Cymru. The exercise involved monitoring 51 bus movements at Carmarthen bus station over a two-and-a-half hour period. The bus compliance officer recorded an “amazing” 100% punctuality for bus services which are no more than one minute early and not more than five minutes late. He added: “This really is an excellent reflection of the many operators using the bus station.” The operators involved included Bysiau Cwm Taf , Ffoshelig Coaches , First Cymru , Morris Travel , Richards Brothers and Silcox Coaches . The council’s Head of Transport Stephen Pilliner said: “I would like to congratulate the bus operators in Carmarthen on the results of the monitoring exercise carried out by Bus Users UK Cymru. The bus operators continually offer the highest standard of service and punctuality.” B...

Maintenance works will require the temporary closure of   Llandybie Level Crossing for one night in April. Advance notice is being given to allow regular commuters and service users on this route to plan ahead for the necessary detour while the work is carried out. The C2138 road will be closed from a point 40 metres metres north-east of its junction with Campbell Road, for a distance of 25 metres. Centurion Traffic Services will carry out maintenance works from 9pm on Wednesday, April 22, to 5.30am on Thursday, April 23. The alternative route for south-west bound traffic will be to travel in a north-easterly direction along the C2138 to its junction with the C2139. At the junction, turn left and continue in a westerly direction along the C2139 to its junction with the A483. Then turn left and continue in a south-westerly direction to its junction with the C2138 before turning left and contining in a south-easterly direction along the C2138 to return to a point south-west of th...

The Carmarthen to Swansea X12 bus has been saved for the time being. First Cymru introduced the service on a commercial basis after a public campaign but were to withdraw it from Easter because of low level use. But now the council has stepped in to enable it to run for a few more months. County passenger transport operations manager Alwyn Evans warned this was a last chance “use it or lose it” opportunity for supporters of the service. He said: “The council only has enough funding available to support the service for the next few months. This gives the service a bit more time to establish itself, but usage of the service will need to increase considerably over the next few months if First Cymru were to consider retaining the service in the longer term.” Some of the X12 service’s faithful passengers have already complimented the council for stepping in to save the service. “It would be a shame for it to have stopped running,” says one user The service supplies a vital public transpor...