Drivers are risking lives when tearing through village

DRIVERS are risking their own lives and those of others by tearing through a Carmarthenshire village at more than double the speed limit.

People living in Pontantwn along the B4309 fear only a fatal accident will result in action being taken by authorities to curb the speed at which vehicles are passing through the village.

Their concerns come despite assurances from Dyfed-Powys Police and Carmarthenshire Council that action has been and is being taken.

A petition set up by villagers calls for more action to halt the dangerous speeds being reached outside their homes.

Emily Bevan-Jones and her husband Eric, who started the petition, argue enough is enough and that the speeds being reached are “hideous”.

Emily said: “I’ve had the wing mirror smashed off my car due to the speed and how close cars are going by.

“Getting out of the driveway in the morning is a nightmare and we and others living here fear that unless there is a serious or fatal accident, nothing will be done to improve the situation. “

Carmarthenshire Council did place sensors on the road at the start of last year to monitor traffic speeds after residents’ pleas.

The petition reads: “They (Carmar-thenshire Council) finally acknowledged at the beginning of 2018 there was a very serious problem after putting data collectors down.

“The data showed from just one of the counters that 85% of those who drive through the village are doing 45mph plus.

“It showed that 27 of those drivers were doing over 70mph through our 30mph village.”

The data also revealed that 155 drivers were travelling at between 60-64mph and 417 were doing between 55 and 59mph. All well above the current 30mph limit.

The petition adds: “The general reaction we have had is that someone will have to die to enable us to have funding for a speed camera or for anything to be done.”

The issue is one that is shared between the council and police, each with different powers relating to what they can do.

The council has stated that the speed limit was reduced from 40mph to 30mph, but residents clearly feel that measure falls short due to the constant disregard of the limit by drivers.

Councillor Hazel Evans, executive board member for environment at Carmarthenshire Council said: “With the support of the police we have reduced the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph and have also introduced vehicle activated signage so that motorists are more aware of their speed.

“The GoSafe Partnership undertakes regular enforcement of the speed limit within the village, and I would encourage local residents to engage with GoSafe to carry out local community campaigns which we will be pleased to support.”

Dyfed-Powys Police said it “works in close partnership with GoSafe to keep roads safe.

“The Pontantwn area is visited regularly by GoSafe, who undertake speeding enforcement and a high number of people have been prosecuted for exceeding the limits there.”

The petition calling for more action can be found online at www.care2.com and searching for ‘ Pontantwn’.