On Saturday 24th May, there was another car accident at the A40 junctions at Raglan. Raglan Community Council said the incident saw blue light agencies in attendance, and that they understand a person or persons were taken to hospital for medical intervention.
The Senedd Member for South Wales East, Laura Anne Jones MS, has now renewed her calls for the Welsh Government’s Transport Secretary to visit the road.
Back in March, Ms Jones attended a public meeting hosted by Raglan Community Council, which was also attended by Peter Fox MS, Catherine Fookes MP, Cllr Penny Jones, Cllr Jayne McKenna, Cllr Richard John and Cllr Jay Frances from Mitchel Troy Community Council, as well as Welsh Government representatives, to discuss solutions to the dangerous junctions.
50mph speed restrictions have been put in place permanently along this specific stretch of the road, but Ms Jones believed this, while welcome, was insufficient.
Ms Jones has described the A40 as “the last piece of the puzzle” for the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road, as the A40 near Raglan provides a key access point to the corridor, intended as an alternative to the M4, stretching to West Wales.
In February, during questions to the First Minister, Ms Jones said she was disappointed that, according to the Welsh Government’s criteria, the junctions weren’t “unsafe enough” for further solutions.
“We’re very aware, of course, that there have been several accidents over time, but they’re not at a level at this point where they represent a collision cluster, and I’m sure you heard that in the meeting,” the First Minister said.
Eluned Morgan added, “So, clearly, we have to prioritise, and at this point, there are other priorities within the Welsh Government's ambit.”
Ms Jones then secured a commitment from Ken Skates, the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, to visit the site and see the junctions for himself, but the Transport Secretary’s diary pressures have meant the visit has not yet taken place.
Following the recent accident, Ms Jones has written to Mr Skates renewing her calls for him to visit the site urgently.
“The Transport Secretary has been responsive to my request for a visit to the A40 at Raglan, and I am thankful to him for that,” she said.
“I appreciate, of course, that he has a busy diary, but following this recent accident it’s important we make this visit happen urgently and start works on proper, long-term solutions, to avoid further collisions, or even worse.”
The most recent collision in the area comes following a tragic series of recent events, including a fatality.
In April, a 63-year-old motorcyclist died in a collision near Raglan Garden Centre, while another was left with life threatening injuries after a collision further along the A40 in Monmouth two weeks ago.