Minutes:
The Committee were joined by members of the public who were invited to speak and made the following points;
Mr. Michael Russon
· Concerned with issues with traffic volume and speed, especially on the main road in Undy
· Police have previously put up covert cameras which captured 85,246 vehicle movements in a 6 day period with 27% of vehicles speeding
· Gwent Police have told him that they feel other roads are more important
· The increase in housing has resulted in more cars on the roads
· How much traffic is too much traffic?
· He is unable to open windows of his home due to traffic noise and pollution
· HGV have no reason to drive through Magor and Undy, they are dangerous and often oversized vehicles have mounted the pavement
Mr Trevor Harris
· Happy the issues with the B4245 are being highlighted
· A solution needs to be found and implemented ASAP as we don’t want to be in the same position in twelve months’ time
· Surely an increase in houses mean an increase in Council Tax payers – more revenue available?
· Need police to be involved for this to work
The Head of Operations for MCC advised Mr Russon and the Committee that following a special meeting of the committee last month regarding the traffic on the B4245, the Chair has written to the Police Crime Commissioner, Gwent Police and the local AM to invite them to the next meeting to discuss matters further. He also advised that MCC commissioned a study in 2012 on the speed and volume of traffic in this area and have now commissioned a further piece of work.
County Councillor Frances Taylor spoke of her experience of living in the area and the fact that she moved in 2007 when it got to the point she could not pull off her drive due to the volume of traffic passing her house. She felt that the average speeds being used as a guide is not an effective way to prioritise need.
Magor Square and the local schools have issues with increasing amounts of traffic and it was suggested that we link up with the Crime Prevention Panel.
Go Safe have not been in Magor for eighteen months because of vegetation and signage, they will be returning soon.
County Councillor Taylor asked that the businesses on the Severnside Bridge Industrial Estate could be written to highlighting the committee’s concerns regarding speed and volume of HGV vehicles entering and exiting the estate. (ACTION R.H.)
County Councillor Alan Davies spoke of the need for a risk assessment and that it’s not just about average speed. He said that we need to review how we analyse the data as he felt that the current methodology is wrong. He was also critical of the length of time it has taken to get a resolution.
When the bridge tolls are abolished the impact on the area will be huge, we need businesses and houses and the correct road infrastructure. During pre-election canvassing, traffic was a concern for most residents.
County Councillor Lisa Dymock asked the Head of Operations how ‘near-misses’ were reported and he asked that local members collect that information.
Attending the meeting on behalf of local AM John Griffiths, Deb Davies thanked the committee and the residents for their comments stating she will speak to Ken Skates in regard to M4 signage and return with an update to the next meeting.