Welsh Department for Economy and Transport said 444 animals were found dead on Wales’ roads in 2016 and 2017. But further research by Confused.com suggests these figures could be even higher, as 40% of Welsh motorists admit they have hit an animal while driving. Some animals are more likely to fall victim to roads than others. In fact, badgers were the most killed animal over the last two … [Read more...]
New M4 road heads towards double original cost estimate
The anticipated cost of the planned M4 Relief road has almost doubled before the inquiry into it concludes. Responding to comments made by a Welsh Government official regarding the cost of the M4 Relief Road, Welsh Conservative Shadow Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, Russell George AM, said, “Only two years ago the First Minister said the M4 Relief Road would cost the Welsh Labour … [Read more...]
Call for crackdown on poor lane-discipline
Confused.com says four in five drivers have been tailgated while a third admit to hogging the middle lane. Despite a proliferation of poor lane discipline it remains a notoriously difficult offence to monitor. “Careless driving” includes offences such as tailgating, middle-lane hogging, undertaking and driving too slowly. Yet only 2,012 drivers fell foul of “careless driving” spot fines in … [Read more...]
Newslines 2 January
There were 30,500 traffic jams on Welsh roads in 2017 which cost drivers and the Welsh economy almost £278m, traffic analysts at Inrix reported. Wales' longest sustained traffic jam of 2017 was a seven-hour, 10-mile queue on the M4 motorway on 27 October and the westbound M4 before Brynglass Tunnel is the worst costing £14m in lost time. When it comes to the UK’s motorists setting their New … [Read more...]
Severn Tolls to be cut next week
This January will mark an event which drivers in Wales, the South West and West Midlands have long been waiting for – a price slash for the Severn Crossing tolls – which will save commuters who use the bridge on weekdays almost £300 on average. After years of inflated prices, the Severn Bridge Crossings will cost £5.60 for cars to travel between England and Wales from 8 January. Until now, … [Read more...]
Late, very late or dead, you decide
In what might be considered a case of misplaced priorities, over a million drivers are more worried about being late for work this Christmas than sliding on icy roads, getting stuck in deep snow or other dangerous weather conditions, according to AA Cars. The AA-Populus poll, which surveyed over 18,500 drivers, found that although this winter has already seen snow and temperatures drop below … [Read more...]
Welsh infrastructure must be top priority for 2018
Congestion is costing Welsh drivers £1.5 billion a year, and the Welsh Conservatives are calling on the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay to make infrastructure a top priority for 2018. INRIX Inc – a leading international provider of real-time traffic information – has calculated the economic cost per driver due to congestion, with the average driver in Cardiff around £939 a year out of pocket. … [Read more...]
Newslines 8 Dec
Engineers and councillors will consider installing average speed cameras along the 20 miles Evo Triangle in north west Wales The undulating and twisting roads are popular with drivers who want to test their cars on the circuit and follow the tyre tracks of motoring journalists but four people have died and 20 have been hurt there in the past five years. More than 2,000 drivers had an … [Read more...]
Newslines 28 November
Work on widening and improving the A465 through the Clydach Gorge north of Brynmawr has become more complex than first thought and builder Costain is disputing what it has to pay. Welsh Government say it they will finish the eastern part of the improvement in 12 months time but the main works through the gorge will take another year and the cost has risen by nearly 25% to approximately £270M, … [Read more...]
Newslines 25 November
Government proposals to upgrade national roads must be matched by improvements to local networks and secondary roads which more users depend on, said Nick Smee, ceo of asset management firm Yotta. Backlogs are huge and more money is urgently needed and easing council borrowing rules would help. IAM RoadSmart says speeding is still far from being socially unacceptable, as DfT figures show … [Read more...]