As Welshpool braces itself for next week’s Easter traffic rush, the town’s under-fire one-way system has been delivered its most damning criticism yet.
A list of changes to the controversial system have been proposed, but, as yet, none have been implemented and Steve Wright, who owns Wright’s Taxis and can spend up to 16 hours a day navigating the system, said it is still not flowing as it should.
Mr Wright said that not a day or night goes by when he does not see someone going the wrong way, and he fears that it may take a serious incident before something drastic is done.
“At the moment there have only been near misses and minor prangs but I am concerned that something serious could happen,” he said. “If there is not a bad crash at the bottom of Sainsbury’s during the summer, I will be very surprised.
“It is very rare for me to have a day or night go by with nothing going the wrong way.”
Mr Wright delivers a daily roads briefing when he clocks off from work in the early hours which benefits the hundreds of people that follow him on Facebook. But lately the one-way incidents have been highlighted more often than the recent bad weather.
He said that a number of changes could be made to make the system safer but, surprisingly, he has never been consulted by anyone, including the Powys County Council panel that was appointed to trouble shoot the system.
“No-one has ever approached me to ask for my opinion,” he said. “I would be happy to share what I feel could work. They have really messed up in a few places which can be put right.”
Last month, MyWelshpool succeeded in persuading a leading sat nav map maker to include the new system after it was revealed that they hadn’t been informed.
Welshpool can expect heavy traffic from a week tomorrow (Thursday) as tourists begin their pilgrimage to the Welsh coast ahead of Easter Friday.