Written question WQ92997

This scheme was originally part of the Safe Overtaking Opportunities programme. It was raised as a possibility of improving safety at the junction and providing a safe opportunity to overtake in the Westerly direction.

This was reviewed by the Roads Review Panel, who decided: The A470 Llangurig, A470 Llanidloes, A470 Pontybat, A487 Aberarth, A487 Llanrhystud and A487 Machynlleth schemes should not proceed because the case for change is weak. However, consideration should be given to constructing shared use foot/cycleways between Llanrhystud and Aberarth. Personal injury collisions at A470 Pontybat Junction should be kept under review to establish whether there may be a case for a low-cost Local Safety Scheme or roundabout without differential acceleration lane.

Officials have reviewed the personal injury collisions for the last 3 years at the Pontybat junction. The collisions have all been different in nature and there is no defining trend. Welsh Government relies upon formally validated data, as hundreds of requests are received each year for safety work to be carried out on the network on the basis of anecdotal evidence. With a finite budget for such work, a strict evidence based approach is adopted to ensure that the money is spent to best effect on the basis of the highest priorities across Wales. These are areas where there is a high density of collisions and a clear pattern in the collision types, which can be addressed through engineering measures. This location does not meet our criteria for a detailed study, however, we will continue to monitor.