Roads face gridlock – councillor (From Western Telegraph)

Roads face gridlock – councillor

11:16am Wednesday 8th August 2007 in News

A county councillor is warning of possible gridlock if plans for 1,000 new homes off Slade Lane are not matched by road network upgrading.

Thomas Tudor, the Labour Party member for Castle Ward, raised his concerns about congestion at the Churn Works roundabout, Haverfordwest, to the senior forward planning officer at County Hall.

He warned the proposal for new pedestrian footpaths and cycleways at the new site could highlight further road safety issues if they are not matched with upgraded routes from the site to the town.

Cllr Tudor said he first raised worries as far back as 1999 and claims he was told "further housing with vehicular access off Slade Lane, St Martin's Park or Crow Hill Road should be discouraged as a matter of policy".

Cllr Tudor is now seeking a cast iron guarantee that this is still the case and pressures to ease the policy would be rejected.

"The Churn Works roundabout is already suffering from daily traffic headaches at peak times and these can only get worse with any new development.

"I am calling for a fresh appraisal and the redesign of traffic flows before any further pressures are placed on our roads and vital junctions," he said.

"I have also urged the senior forward planning officer to give the residences of Slade Lane and St Martin's Park his assurance that they will not have to put up with works traffic and heavy plant movements once construction is underway.

"All site access must be from specially created points off the St David's roundabout and Thomas Parry Way."