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

Funding has been awarded to create a safer walking and cycling environment for schoolchildren and the wider communities in Carmarthen and Pontyberem. The council has received funding of £542,759 from Welsh Government to carry out walking, cycling and road safety improvements as part of the Safe Routes in Communities programme. A grant of £292,759 was awarded to fund a scheme in Carmarthen town and £250,000 towards a range of measures which includes improving access to Pontyberem Primary School. The scheme in Carmarthen will improve access to Ysgol y Dderwen via Llys Fynnon and improve walking links to Richmond Park School. It includes safer crossing points and traffic calming measures along Lime Grove Avenue and a raised plateau and improved lighting around Pondside, Johnstown. The grant will also go towards a proposed zebra crossing and parent waiting shelter at Model School. In Pontyberem, the proposals include a new path linking Brandyway with the school; a potential new footpath ...

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 ...

A Llanelli man’s birthday greetings message cost him £600 – because he painted it on the road in his street. Llanelli Magistrates Court heard that on July 8, 2016, Carmarthenshire County Council received an anonymous report that a man living in Grant Street had written the message ‘Happy Birthday Zoe M from Dai’ on the road in large print. On July 14 an environmental enforcement officer and technical assistant called at David Nigel Dallimore’s home in Grant Street. He admitted painting the message and agreed to accept a fixed penalty of £75. Twenty eight-year-old Dallimore failed to pay resulting in prosecution for making unauthorised marks on the highway. He was convicted in his absence last Friday. He was fined £220, and ordered to pay costs of £351 and a victim surcharge of £30. Executive board member for environmental and public protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “Graffiti can be expensive to clear off as specialist products may have to be used to remove the paint in an environmenta...

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;...

A significant amount of the Kerosene oil which escaped from the damaged pipeline at the A48 in Nantycaws, Carmarthen, has been recovered. Valero, the company responsible for the pipeline works has confirmed approximately 120,000 litres of the estimated 140,000 litres of oil lost has been recovered to date. Works to repair the pipeline and isolate the leak last weekend were successful; with the westbound carriageway of the A48 opening earlier than planned. Commissioning of the new pipeline will commence at the end of this week and the re-opening of the A48 eastbound carriageway is planned to take place on November 1. Carmarthenshire County Council has now taken over as lead agency as part of the recovery operation, working closely with Natural Resources Wales, Public Health Wales, Dyfed-Powys Police and other partners. NRW staff are continuing to monitor the site and investigate the impact of the incident on the local environment. Tests confirm no public water drinking supplies have b...

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 ...

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...

A request has been received for the temporary road closure of the B4301 at Bronwydd from its junction with the U2096, for a distance of 570 metres in a northerly direction from today, Tuesday, March 29 to Friday, April 8. The alternative route for the First Cymru 215 journey north bound will be via the B4301, A484, A4243, A485 and B4301. Vice versa for the return journey. Morris Travel will use the unclassified road running parallel with the B4301 and exiting at Bronwydd Hall.

Drivers in Carmarthenshire are being urged to think ahead and reduce their speed on bends on country roads. Figures show that 60 per cent of all road fatalities occur on rural roads and in 2014 alone, 10,091 people were killed or seriously injured in the UK. The most common reason for these incidents is loss of control which is frequently associated with inappropriate speed at bends. Bends can hide unexpected hazards around the corner, such as animals or large oncoming vehicles. The THINK! country roads campaign encourages drivers to anticipate the hazards that may lie ahead and ‘brake before the bend, not on it’. Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “The number of people killed on country roads is 10 times higher than on motorways; and worryingly, a third of all fatalities on country roads happen on bends. “The message is simple; give yourself time to react to unexpected hazards and slow down on bends. Even if you’re familiar with the road, never take it...

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.

Gas work is leading to the temporary closure of King and Queen Streets in Carmarthen on Sunday, November 22, from 8am to 6pm. The closure is necessary to ensure public safety whilst Wales and West Utilities install three new gas supplies. The alternative route for south-west bound traffic will be via Church Street and Spilman Street detailed on the attached plan.

The Avenue, Carmarthen, is to be closed for three weeks from its junction with Priory Street for a total distance of 150 metres in a south-easterly direction. The closure is necessary for Wales and West Utilities to carry out gas mains replacement works from Monday, October 12, 2015. The alternative route for north west bound traffic will be to travel in a south-westerly direction along The Parade to its junction with North Parade.  At the junction, turn right and continue in a north-westerly direction along North Parade to its junction with Priory Street. At the junction, turn right and continue in a north-easterly direction to return to a point north-west of the closure.

There will be a temporary closure of part of the C1167 road from its junction with B4343 for a total distance of half a mile in a south-easterly direction near Cellan, Lampeter. The closure is necessary to ensure public safety whilst H T Installations lay a new duct in the carriageway from Monday, October 5. The road will be closed for five days. The alternative route for north-westbound traffic will be to travel in a north-easterly direction along the C1167 to its junction with the B4343. Turn left there and continue in a south-westerly direction along the B4343 to return to a point north-west of the closure. Vice versa for south-east bound traffic.

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...

Work is beginning this week to enhance four roundabouts at the Gateways to Llanelli. The work to the Berwick, Box, Trostre and Sandy Roundabouts is part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funded ADREF project. A traffic management scheme will be operating on Berwick roundabout from this Wednesday (March 25) until March 30 with a break for Easter and then from April 15-17; on Box roundabout from March 30 until April 2, then April 13-14 and April 22-24. Trostre roundabout will have traffic management from April 15-27 and April 29 until May 1, and Sandy roundabout from April 27 until May 1 and May 11 to May 13. Any lane closures on the roundabouts will not commence before 9.30am and will be removed by 3.30pm. The council apologises for any inconvenience this will cause. Following on from the recent £60m regeneration of Llanelli town centre, the County Council recognises that there are a number of key gateway points to the town centre which currently lack definition and do...

Resurfacing works will be carried out at Eastgate roundabout in Llanelli on Friday and Saturday evening. The essential roadworks will take place between 6pm and midnight on Friday, March 27, and Saturday, March 28, in order to minimise disruption to the public. The works will be carried out on a lane by lane basis to maintain traffic flow. Executive Board member for Technical Services Cllr Colin Evans said: “The work has been programmed to take place over Friday and Saturday nights to keep any disruption to a minimum on this busy roundabout."

Carmarthen Bridge will be closed on Sunday for minor maintenance repairs. The bridge will be closed from a point 120 metres north of its junction with Towy Roundabout for a total distance of 70 metres in a northerly direction from 8am until 6pm for work on the bridge joints. The alternative route for south bound traffic will be via A4242 Coracle Way, A40 Pont Lesneven, A40 Pont Pensarn and A484 Heol Llangynnwr. Vice Versa for north bound traffic. The one-way traffic order - Parade Road and St Peters Street - will be temporarily suspended for the duration of the closure, to allow for two-way working along Parade Road. Old Station Road junction with Castle Hill, that’s southbound traffic only - will be closed for the duration of the closure. Eastbound traffic along Old Station Road will be unaffected.

A new £1million bridge has been completed near the village of Rhandirmwyn in the Tywi Valley. It replaces the old Galltybere Bridge, which had been subject to a three tonne weight restriction, and is a lifeline for the local community. The new two span bridge is 45 metres in length and has been built downstream of the Galltybere Bridge, which dates back to approximately 1925 and was the only means of access for a number of properties. The construction works were carried out on behalf of the council by TRJ (Betws) Limited. The project was made possible thanks to funding made available through the Local Government Borrowing Initiative (LGBI). Executive Board Member for Technical Services Cllr Colin Evans said: “The new bridge can accommodate traffic up to 40 tonnes which is vital for rural communities such as this. “This new bridge has been needed for some time and fortunately with the aid of LGBI funding it has now been made possible.” Local authorities were able draw down a total of ...

Works to create safe walking and cycling routes in the community of Llwynhendy will mean temporary closure of Parc Gitto for two days in March. Parc Gitto will be closed from its junction with Hendre Road for a distance of 350 metres in a northerly direction. The closure is necessary for Carmarthenshire County Council to carry out Safe Routes in the Community Work from 8am on Monday, March 2, to 6pm on Tuesday, March 3. The alternative route for north bound traffic will be to travel in a north-easterly direction along Hendre Road to its junction with Llwynhendy Road. At the junction, turn left and continue in a north-westerly direction to return to a point north of the closure. Vice versa for south bound traffic. Executive board member for engineering and transport services, Cllr Colin Evans, said: “Our transport teams have excelled in attracting grant support for so many safe routes schemes throughout the country in recent years. “This minor disruption inconvenience to motorists wi...

Work has started on a £25k upgrading of a Zebra Crossing to a controlled Puffin Crossing at the Half Moon, Garnant. Costs of the scheme have been shared between the Carmarthenshire County council’s traffic management revenue budget and Cwmamman Town Council. The scheme would not have been possible so soon without the match funding contribution from the town council. The work involves new traffic signals and traffic and pedestrian detectors and will be completed before the end of March. County executive board member for engineering and transport Cllr Colin Evans said: “ Cwmamman Town Council has been extremely supportive of this scheme which the county would have found difficult to provide from its own budget for several years. “The speed at which this scheme is being delivered shows the benefit of collaborative working between the councils and officers and members on both sides are to be commended for their efforts providing this vitally needed traffic management safety upgrade.”