SOME DRIVERS BACK SPEED CUT ON DANGER ROAD

MORE than a third of drivers polled think the speed limit on one of Wales’ most dangerous roads should be cut from 70mph to 50mph, writes Robert Harries.

A survey conducted by WalesOnline asked motorists for their views on the A40 between Carmarthen and St Clears, a dual carriageway measuring eight and a half miles which has been the scene of hundreds of crashes in recent years.

The stretch is currently the subject of a Welsh Government study which is looking into potential ways to make it safer.

Hundreds responded to our survey, with 35.3% saying that the dual carriageway should have a 50mph speed limit introduced in full between Carmarthen and St Clears. 61.2% of those asked however said the speed limit should remain at 70mph, while 3.4% were unsure.

As for the number of junctions on both westbound and eastbound carriageways, 66.6% said there should be fewer turn-offs, while only 25.7% said they were happy with the current number. 7.6% were unsure. A third of people who responded said they didn’t actually feel safe when driving on the A40 between Carmarthen and St Clears, while 6.9% said they were unsure and 60.4% saying that they did in fact feel safe travelling along that route.

The road has again been the scene of tragedy in the past year or so with the deaths of 20-year-old James Beere last September and 37-year-old serving police officer Lynwen Thomas in February this year.

In recent months, the issue of safety on the road was raised in the Senedd, with MS Cefin Campbell, a former Carmarthenshire County councillor, putting the matter to First Minister Mark Drakeford.

A spokesman for the Welsh Government said: “We take road safety extremely seriously and monitor safety across the entire road network. The Road Safety Framework for Wales sets out the actions we and our partners are taking to improve road safety in Wales. A study is underway into this particular stretch of the A40 which is looking at road safety as well as other issues. We will consider the findings from this study as soon as it has been completed.”

No set timescale on the conclusion of that study has been confirmed.