RENEWED calls have been made for the Welsh Government to improve road safety along the A494 between Dolgellau and Corwen.

Plaid Cymru Senedd Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Mabon ap Gwynfor has sought further clarity from the Welsh Labour government as to what, if anything, they are doing to improve safety on the A494 between Dolgellau and Corwen.

Mr ap Gwynfor has written to the Welsh government asking for an update, having been repeatedly assured that work to assess the safety on the A494 would begin in 2023, only to be told later that it would be at least 2025 before investigations would start.

People living in communities along the route of the A494 such as Rhydymain, Llanuwchllyn, Llanfor, and Glan-yr-Afon have been left in limbo by Welsh government who promised that steps would be taken to address road safety concerns along the busy route.

Local people report some drivers speeding more than 80mph on parts of the road, which is notorious for dangerous bends. There have been repeated calls for new signage and concerns have also been voiced about the camber of the road.

The most recent figures from North Wales Police reveal that from the 1 January 2022 to the 31 July 2023, there have been a total of two fatalities, nine serious and three slight collisions on the A494 with a further 19 damage-only collisions and 34 non reportable collisions reported to the police in this period. Up-to-date data is being collated and will be available next month.

Mabon ap Gwynfor MS said: “The A494 between Dolgellau and Corwen has seen several serious and fatal accidents yet work already promised to improve safety on this notorious road has still not started, despite repeated assurances from Ministers.

“People living in communities along the route of the A494 have long called for measures to improve safety and by now are frankly fed up with promises being broken.

“Having been assured by Welsh government that work to assess safety on this road was afoot, we are still waiting. When I escalated this matter with the First Minister last year, she was clueless as to what was going on. My constituents want to see measures delivered, not mealy-mouthed excuses.

“How many more accidents will it take before assessment work to scope the problem begins? Accident figures from North Wales Police make for sober reading. People are still being injured and killed on this road with residents fearful of using the route. I call again on the Welsh government to bring forward the work programme, including an initial safety assessment at the earliest opportunity so that my constituents and road users can be assured that something is being done to address this issue.”

Llanfor resident and local campaigner, Delyth Jones added: “The A494 through Llanfor is a 60-mph road.

“I’ve been in correspondence with the Trunk Roads Agency, Welsh Government and ‘Gan Bwyll’ for some time now because there are several things that make the A494 in Llanfor exceptionally dangerous.

“It should be noted that a very high number of accidents including fatal ones, have occurred over the years on this stretch of road. Drivers are constantly speeding and overtaking at high speed.

“The road is often used as a racetrack with drivers doing 80 to 100-mph. No consideration is given to the fact that there are several entrances to houses, as well as to the village itself.

“Driving and overtaking at speeds more than 60-mph makes it very dangerous to those trying to access the main road. There are two invisible brows, (one from the direction of Bala and the other when traveling from Corwen).

“These must also be considered as danger factors.

“There’s also a footpath which runs alongside the road from Llanfor to Bala, used daily by schoolchildren and residents.

“There’s no safety barrier between the road and the footpath. We should be mindful that farm animals and vehicles use the road.

“Rhiwlas Estate cattle regularly cross the road, no speed limit markings and no lights to indicate when livestock is crossing. It’s time the authorities took notice and do something to ensure the safety of everyone who uses the A494, before it’s too late.”

Mr ap Gwynfor also met with the road safety charity, Brake to discuss road safety concerns.

Luca Straker, Campaigns Manager for Brake, the road safety charity said: “The carnage on roads takes lives, devastates families, and causes life changing injuries.

“It’s completely unacceptable that people’s lives are cut short or changed forever because of preventable road crashes.

“It must stop. We need a concerted focus on reducing road deaths and catastrophic injuries.

“This requires ambitious targets to end the carnage on our roads and a focus on Safe Systems, including appropriate speed limits on all roads, investment in vehicle safety and infrastructure and funding to help provide more devastated families with the support they need.

“Brake, the road safety charity, is calling for us all to act now and make sure that next year no other family or community has to go through this same experience.”

Responding to the concerns raised, The Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates said: “We take road safety very seriously and constantly review police collision data to inform the need for additional measures.

“We would encourage people to provide GoSafe, our Road Safety partners, with information about instances and evidence of excessive speeds along this route.”