Completed petition Introduce a mandatory 40mph speed limit on the A487 at Blaenporth Ceredigion

Blaenporth village straddles the main South/North coastal road; the A487. Roughly two thirds of the village live to the South of the main road; the remainder of the population are mostly clustered around the local Church to the North. As far as Aberporth Community Council can ascertain this village is the only one without a mandatory speed limit from Fishguard in the South to Porthmadog, Gwynedd in the North, the length of Cardigan Bay.

Historic Data to April 2012: -

Numerous letters and e mails have been sent to the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency (MWTRA) and Ceredigion County Council (CCC).

Submissions to the MWTRA elicited no replies. Ceredigion Highways Department letters and e mails replies but no support for the change.

October 2009 came the Welsh Government Circular 24/2009; Setting Local Speed Limits in Wales. For 2 years CCC did nothing and then in a Cabinet Meeting 25/10/2011 a moratorium on the introduction of new speed limits was put to CCC cabinet members this was Page 8 of 9 being considered by Cabinet, a fait accompli! CCC Officers decision to start the process 2 years after the date of the circular and then take 3 years (until December 2014) to implement it seems to stretch the credibility of the process.

This decision prompted Aberporth Community Council to write to the Chief Executive of CCC, the reply just supported “The Party Line”.

During this period Ceredigion AM Elin Jones was also attempting to implement a mandatory speed limit with no effect.

May 2012 Onwards: -

After the May Local Elections Aberporth Community Council felt it had a fresh mandate from the electorate to try once again for the mandatory speed limit at Blaenporth.

The start of the campaign was a site meeting with CCC Cabinet Member for Transport Cllr Alun Williams who supported our case and emailed CCC Highways Department and the Go Safe initiative.

The chair of Aberporth Community Council Highways Committee met with Ceredigion’s MP Mark Williams and he also offered full support.

The opportunity was also taken to “Copy In” Mid and West Wales Regional Assembly Members. Rebecca Evans AM, finally had a reply from Mr Deio Evans MWTRA with the same mantra i.e. end of December 2014 before new speed limit decisions will be made. William Powell AM had suggested the petition’s committee as a place of last resort.