Drivers ignoring speeding plea
96 people an hour caught over the limit
EFFORTS to reduce speeding traffic on the approach to Carmarthen appear not to be working as more than 1,200 drivers were caught speeding on 13 occasions over five months.
On one visit to the spot 140 people were caught speeding
The 50mph limit on the A40 from St Clears was introduced after 359 crashes on the road in the 10 years to 2019.
Carmarthen Mayor Gareth John said the figures were “absolutely staggering” and the Welsh Government are to review the anti-speeding measures on the stretch of road.
THERE’S a main road that leads into Carmarthen which seems fairly unremarkable.
It’s a dual carriageway that connects the town with more western parts of South Wales, including the towns of Whitland and St Clears.
But the A40 has been beset by safety concerns for a long time. In the 10 years up to 2019 there were 359 crashes on the road between Carmarthen and St Clears – a stretch of nine miles. In response to this the Welsh Government decided to act.
They put in place a 50mph speed limit on the eastbound side of the carriageway as you come into Carmarthen. The area where the speed restriction applies starts around 500m west of the junction for Llanllwch.
From that point up until you approach what’s known as B&Q roundabout in Carmarthen, the side of the road is adorned with 50mph signs warning drivers of the restriction, which has now been in place for more than 12 months.
It was hoped that this intervention by the government would reduce speeds on the road. However that doesn’t seem to be the case.
In just five months almost 1,250 people were caught speeding travelling on the stretch of the A40 that leads into Carmarthen. Between June 2020 and the end of October officers from Gosafe Cymru have positioned themselves on an overpass above the 50mph section on 13 different occasions. They decided to take this enforcement action following a survey which established that compliance with the speed limit was “very low”.
On each occasion an officer using a handheld speed measuring device and dressed in high-visibilty clothing spent around an hour at the scene. Across those 13 visits they clocked 1,249 motorists speeding with the lowest excess speed recorded at 58mph and the highest at 95mph – almost double the limit.
This means that, on average, 96 drivers per hour have been caught speeding on a stretch of road which is only 1.4 miles in length. On one visit to the spot, in June, 140 people were caught speeding.
Sergeant Ian Price, a Gosafe Cymru casualty reduction lead at DyfedPowys Police, has tasked officers with standing on the overpass.
He believes many motorists simply choose to ignore the speed limit in place and insists that a Go Safe Cymru presence will remain at the scene in a bid to encourage drivers to slow down.
He said: “Despite the fact that there are clear indications by way of signage indicating it to be a 50mph zone it was very apparent early on after its implementation that compliance with the speed limit was low.
“We were contacted by a number of sources, including motorists who travel the road daily, nearby residents, and the relevant authority for that road.
“There has also been a number of serious injury and damage collisions caused by excessive and inappropriate speed on this section of road. In view of this we conducted a survey and established that compliance was very low. We established that those motorists who were not complying were found to be well in excess of the national speed limit for this type of road, which is normally 70mph.”
It was for these reasons that Gosafe Cymru decided to take action and Sergeant Price added that when officers do stand on the overpass with a handheld device, their position can actually be seen in excess of 100m away – the minimum required distance based on safe enforcement guidelines.
It seems, however, that officers’ clear visibility metres above a straight dual carriageway has done little to halt the regularity at which drivers break the speed limit.
Sergeant Price also said that concerns have been raised with the Welsh Government’s trunk roads department in order to “review whether current signage is adequate”. He added: “Reducing and managing traffic speeds is crucial to road safety.
“Breaking the speed limit or travelling too fast for conditions is recorded (by police at crash scenes) as a contributory factor in almost one in four (24%) fatal collisions in the UK.”
Carmarthen’s mayor said the figures were “absolutely staggering”. “Such high numbers over a relatively short period of time clearly evidences that the 50mph speed limit is not being adhered to,” said Gareth John.
“[To have] 1,249 incidents of speeding over a five-month period despite the enforcement officers being highly visible and in clear view just metres above the dual carriageway is absolutely staggering. The signage and road markings currently in place are clearly not working. The speed limit between Nantyci and the B&Q roundabout was put in place for a reason.
“With the increased volume of traffic brought about by the housing development and the opening of the new link road joining the dual carriageway with speeding traffic at this junction is just plainly dangerous.
“I’m surprised that such a short slip road complies with the stringent highway safety standards in place to safeguard the public and given the speed of the traffic on the dual carriageway itself it clearly warrants an immediate urgent review and action.
“Given that it was thought necessary to bring in the 50mph restriction the fact that it is not being consistently complied with means the Welsh Government are honour bound to act to mitigate the current dangers and prevent injury.”
The Welsh Government, which implemented the new 50mph zone on November 1, 2019, has admitted that it is looking at the situation on the A40 west of Carmarthen to ascertain whether further action needs to be taken.
A spokesman said: “We will be reviewing the existing speed limit signing to establish how to improve compliance, at this stage considering further signage and road markings.”