Cwmbran Community Council wants to spend £8,550 on three new speed indicator devices in the town. The devices flash up the speed of an oncoming car to show if the driver is speeding (red figure) or not (green figure).
One of the streets is where a 15-year-old boy was hit by a car on Saturday 20 November. Following the incident, his mum said the driver was not at fault.
Community Cllr Mike Villars, for Llantarnam Ward, said that residents had just presented a petition of 300 signatures to Gwent Police about speeding on Llantarnam Road. In August 2021 Cwmbran Life reported how the road was described as a “drag strip” at times by worried residents.
Community councillors have identified three roads to target with the devices:
- Llantarnam Road, Llantarnam
- Station Road, Pontnewydd
- Blenheim Road. St Dials
From Summer 2023, Blenheim Road will also have a new, lower speed limit due to Welsh Government changes.
Community councillors started to discuss the idea of buying the devices several months ago and at their Policy & Finance Committee meeting on Monday 29 November 2021 they approved the plan. Following their Full Council meeting in September they asked to see data from Gwent Police on the location and number of speeding tickets that had been issued from 2015 to 2020 in the town.
The latest report said each sign would cost £2,850 plus installation costs (could be from £278.46 plus VAT to £1,500) and this could be met from their Regeneration projects budget.
The decision by Cwmbran Community Council means they would pay for the devices once the locations are approved by Torfaen County Borough Council. The report notes that The Highways Act allows a community council to pay towards the costs of signs being supplied and installed by a county borough council.
Gwent Police are appealing for information about the Blenheim Road incident. A spokesperson said: “Enquiries are ongoing at this time and anyone with information that could assist our investigation, including CCTV or dashcam footage, should call 101, quoting log reference 2100407901.”