Wilko crossing must be a priority says Ammanford mayor

Councillors Deian Harries, Irena Hopkins, Colin Evans and town Mayor Andrew Lewis met the local authority's traffic manager John McAvoy last week to discuss options to make the area safer for pedestrians.

The meeting came after two women required hospital treatment for injuries sustained in separate incidents on the zebra crossing close to the town's branch of the chain store.

One of the victims suffered broken bones after she was involved in a collision with a Vauxhall Corsa.

“This crossing has probably the worst record in terms of accidents and near misses than anywhere else in Carmarthenshire,” said Cllr Lewis at the site of the crossing.

“It is now high time that this issue was addressed by the authority before someone is fatally injured.

“I would therefore ask that the Executive Board Member for Technical Services, Hazel Evans, gives this issue the priority it deserves by changing the configuration of this crossing to be more pedestrian friendly.

“My main priority would be to install a puffin crossing, whilst also looking at reconfiguring the entrance to the Carregaman car park by moving it away from the current location.”

Cllr Harries, who met with Mr McEvoy the week before, said he agreed with the mayor’s comments adding: “The public’s safety is my first priority, both the pedestrians and the drivers.

“On this particular stretch of road there are far too many things for people to think about,” said Cllr Harries.

“There is the junction into Wilko car park, the entrance to the main car park, the railway crossing and the pedestrian crossing itself. People haven’t got enough time to think.”

Traffic and safety manager John McEvoy said the entrance into Ammanford’s main public car park would be relocated should proposals to improve safety at the crossing go ahead.

He added he would look into the possibility of a puffin crossing replacing the existing zebra crossing.s