During warmer months, the A496 single-track road through Llanbedr becomes clogged with tourist traffic - causing regular traffic jams resulting in unreliable journey times for residents, a “high collision rate” on the road, as well as concerns over safety for cyclists and pedestrians on the narrow and, in some parts, absent pavements.
Plans got the go-ahead in 2020 to build the long-awaited bypass which would go around the west of the village, but funding for the road was withdrawn in 2021 following Welsh government changes to climate policy to build no more roads in Wales.
This week, revised plans for the bypass have been released, along with a six-week public consultation to gain feedback on the plans.
The proposals aim to “improve safety by all modes, encourage and enable journeys by sustainable transport modes, improve the built environment within Llanbedr, and reduce the impact of traffic associated with the visitor economy on the local community.”
The new bypass, now dubbed the ‘Low-Speed Relief Road’, would be 40 miles per hour instead of 60, tracking along the same route west of the village as the previous one.
The proposal has revised how the bypass joins on the north end with the A496 to “minimise the new carriageway construction required”.
The new plans would also prohibit motor vehicles on Mochras Road and the Arto River Bridge, except for emergency vehicles (and bus services over the bridge).
The new bypass wouldn’t include street-lighting or dedicated active travel infrastructure- instead, pedestrians and cyclists would be encouraged to go along the existing A496 road through Llanbedr.
The plans would also allow improved access to the famous Shell Island, dubbed the largest campsite in Europe.
Cyngor Gwynedd Council, along with Transport for Wales and Welsh government, have also proposed other options for improvements along the A496, both with and without the building of a new bypass.
This is because funding is only likely to be obtained for a new bypass as a ‘last resort once other solutions have been tried’, according to a Roads Review Panel.
Cyngor Gwynedd aim to then obtain new funding from Welsh government for an approved combination of roadwork improvements.
Locals, business owners and visitors to the area can submit their views on the new plans until 6 May via the website, where full details of the different proposed options can be found.
A Cyngor Gwynedd spokesperson said: “At the end of [this process], a preferred scheme will be identified, and the next steps set out in further detail for consideration, which will be subject to funding availability.
“Our contact with Eryri National Park Authority as the planning authority is ongoing as the project develops.