Options on the table to sort Red Bank road safety

Welshpool Town Council are backing moves to introduce extra safety measures on Red Bank, but have stopped short of pushing for it to become one-way.

At last night’s full council monthly meeting, Welshpool Powys County Councillor, Graham Breeze, reported back from his meeting of concerned parties on the issue following recent high-profile incidents that have highlighted the need for something to be done.

He said: “We had the serious incident of the car crashing through a garden, and numerous incidents of people losing parts of their vehicles on the bank, and an increase, I would say, in heavy goods vehicles rather than a decrease.

“Police are also very keen on something happening and they attended the meeting.”

But he said they all emerged from the “sharing of ideas”, which included Powys Highways and the police, more frustrated than before they went in.

“We were throwing ideas into the mix to see what the options were,” said Cllr Breeze. “Unfortunately, every option that was put in, there was always a reason why that possibly wasn’t suitable, or workable.

“Police cannot carry out official speed checks and booking of people because it is too dangerous as there is nowhere to pull in people.”

A lengthy debate followed with the town councillors throwing in their own ideas.

Cllr Phil Pritchard said that it was the “idiot drivers” who were the problem, and

Cllr Nick Howells felt that chicanes, similar to those at the bottom of Gungrog Hill, would put off the HGVs and also “act as a traffic calming measure”.

But Cllr Breeze pointed out that it was still a 60mph zone from the Guilsfield turning and the bank was considered too steep in the 20mph zone for chicanes.

Cllr Alison Davies called for a speed camera to be installed saying “the message would soon get out that it is a very costly route” as “we need to start getting people fined”.

“It would be the first speed camera in our area that would be welcomed,” said The Mayor, Cllr Phil Owen.

Cllr Morag Bailey also attended Cllr Breeze’s meeting and said that many of the suggestions would simply move the problem to other parts of the town.

“I did say in the meeting that are we trying to use a sledgehammer to crack a walnut?” she said. “As in, can we not try some relatively inexpensive measures to see if we can calm traffic before we start making major decisions?”

She highlighted the ‘roundabout’ at the end of Brookfield Road “which people take no notice of” and floated the possibility of “putting something more substantial that will automatically slow people down after they come from the Guilsfield turning”.

She also called for better signage for the speed limits and to warn motorists that the road will narrow, and road markings to prevent vehicles from stopping outside the infamous “steps” that have just been rebuilt having been smashed by a HGV last year.

Cllr Bill Rowell carries out regular litter picking on Red Bank and said: “Yes, I do pick up a lot of wing mirrors.”

He also called for a new 40mph zone to be put in place on the Guilsfield side of Red Bank, similar to the one introduced outside Hardings Garden Centre this week.

But he also warned that the council should not rush into decisions that would prove unpopular, and Cllr David France wants more consultation with the public before taking “any drastic measures”.

Town Clerk, Richard Williams, said that the feeling from the initial meeting was that the Town Council should take the lead on what needs to be done.

“I am certainly in support of a first stab in terms of signage and slowing down of vehicles,” said Cllr Breeze.

Cllr Richard Church also stated that it will be “getting a lot worse” with the amount of housing earmarked for Red Bank and Guilsfield that will increase traffic.

Councillors agreed that they will write to Powys County Council Highways to support the need for safety measures, but, as a first phase, not to consider introducing a one-way system.