Trecastle C.A.R.S. - Letter From Edwina Hart and reply 13th January 2015
Letter from Edwina Hart 13th January 2015
Below is a letter from Edwina Hart AM that was forwaded by Kirsty Williams AM to our C.A.R.S. representative Mr Dave Howells. Mr Howells repied and a copy of that is underneath the copy of the letter from Edwina Hart.
Reply from Trecastle C.A.R.S. representative Dave Howells
In reply to your recent letter to Kirsty Williams dated 13th January 2015, concerning Speed, Road Traffic Collisions, fatalities on Powys highways and Anti-Social driving...I can say that the communities and local residents are NOT happy. We do not want to witness highway abuse, traffic accidents, highway closures, emergency service call outs, and general fear of using the road and pavements during another year in 2015 with no tangible improvements! There is a good case, for doing something positive NOW!.. not just in villages but on open roads motorbike speeds are more likely to be in the region of 140 m.p.h. WE want to reduce the current trend in highway abuse, where the local people seem to be the victims of traffic collision, fatalities and aggravation. Local people are willing to be involved in assisting this issue, and it doesn`t have to be onerous or costly.
C.A.R.S. Do NOT consider your response to be Pro-Active at all!! As we approach the Spring of 2015 local rural communities will be again invaded by those who wish to ignore traffic laws and common sense, and all other road users in their pursuit of high speed fun, as you are very well aware !. Our C.A.R.S. group is ready to take some positive action to assist the Police, Powys Highways and yourselves to address an issue that has not been addressed. As we approach nicer, drier and warmer weather our highways will become a racetrack, where the Police are ineffective in stopping 100 plus m.p.h. on our roads, and when they can catch a driver exceeding 100m.p.h. then the vehicle should be confiscated. They Police should apply a zero tolerance to this category of highway crime.
I remind you of your verbal response to the situation in Trecastle. You said that you understood the unusual situation in Trecastle with it`s very narrow and dead straight Trunk road [A40] running through the village. The village where, there is a large amount of children playing, and using the Village Hall nightly for Y.F.C. activities. This is a catastrophe waiting to happen ! and you have been made aware of it. Promises were made by you that something would be done before the end of 2014. The promises were not honoured. You thought that a flashing speed sign could be installed, or consideration for lowering the speed limit to 30 m.p.h. and a crossing point for the children to cross the road safely [a great idea of mine to slow the traffic a little in Trecastle ] .
Trecastle is still 40 m.p.h. and Sennybridge is 30m.p.h. [I`m sure Trecastle has more children in the village than Sennybridge and the road is certainly narrower.!]
C.A.R.S. are now at a point where we seek more support from other villages and communities within a 25 mile radius of Sennybridge to join in our campaign to save lives and reduce misery. Other villages suffer the same aggravation and worry as Sennybridge, Libanus, Llanspyddid, and Trecastle and we are prepared to do something about it !. The answer is easy! Provide us with Go Pro cameras, and the Police receive the footage from the communities, and The Police deal with the culprits accordingly. We are willing to do the work ourselves, so that the highways become safer and slower. It could/should improve the awful data that is available about road deaths and crashes in Powys and answer some of your future planning and targets.
