Following a spate of fatal and serious road accidents in Denbighshire and Conwy in recent months, Clwyd West MS Darren Millar has called on the First Minister to introduce measures to make the notoriously dangerous A494 safer.

Darren has long been concerned about the speed of traffic on the A494 trunk road between Ruthin and Mold, much of which is in Clwyd West, and has raised the issue numerous times in the Welsh Parliament and directly with the Transport Minister, most recently  at the end of August.  

Since that time, there has been more accidents along the stretch, prompting Darren to raise the matter again, this time with the First Minister, Mark Drakeford.  

Speaking during yesterday’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, he said:

“One of the consequences of the increase in people working from home is that we've seen a significant reduction in traffic on many of our roads, and, unfortunately, because there's less traffic, that has often led to an increase in speeding, and that is absolutely true on the A494 trunk road between Ruthin and Mold.

“We've had a number of serious accidents, unfortunately, some in which individuals have lost their lives, in the Llanbedr area, and also in the Llanferres area there's been a significant increase in speeding.

“Can I urge you, First Minister, to work with the Minister responsible for transport to look at what additional measures might be taken on this particular stretch of road, including whether it may be viable to introduce average speed cameras, which seem to have been so effective in killing speed, rather than people, on dangerous roads elsewhere in the country?”

The First Minister shared Darren’s concern regarding the fatalities in North Wales in September and referred to the measures that the Welsh Government has already taken, which he said need to be monitored now for their effectiveness.

He assured Darren that if those measures are not effective, “then other measures will be considered of the sort that he has set out, so that we can do everything we can together to make sure that lives, and young lives, are not lost on roads in north Wales.”

Cllr Martyn Holland said: “I am extremely pleased that Darren has raised this matter in the Senedd once again. There have already been far too many accidents on this road and it would be devastating to see more lives lost.  I therefore urge the Welsh Government to heed Darren’s calls and take action.“