Locals have nicknamed a valley route the Wild West due to traffic issues, with no restrictions placed on how many lorries can use it.
Residents from Brynawel and Wattsville gathered earlier this month to address safety, noise and pollution concerns they attribute to continuous lorry movements around the clock.
Ward councillors Jan Jones and Janine Reed for Ynysddu stated that immediate action was required to enhance road safety for local residents before someone experienced serious harm.
During a Caerphilly County Borough Council session on Tuesday April 7, Cllr Reed presented figures indicating that lorry traffic along the B4251 through Wattsville had grown, accounting for approximately one in twelve vehicle movements on the road.
Cllr Nigel George, the cabinet member responsible for highways, explained that the route operates under 7.5-tonne weight restrictions for general traffic, while allowing local businesses to make deliveries and operate effectively. He clarified that these restrictions aimed to prevent large vehicles from using the valley as a through route, while permitting valley-based traders to receive deliveries and operate effectively.
He explained that there is no limit on the number of HGVs (heavy goods vehicles) permitted to use the road, provided that they require legitimate access.
Cllr George noted that a significant volume of lorry traffic is to be expected in the area, due to the scale of the neighbouring Nine Mile Point Industrial Estate and the B4251 serving as its sole access road.
However, he highlighted that the council had implemented a number of safety improvements, encompassing reviews of parking restrictions within the industrial estate, new warning signage, and traffic-calming measures.
He explained that these steps reflect the council’s ongoing commitment to improving road safety and traffic management within the Ynysddu ward.
At the residents’ gathering, those present reported that the speed bumps installed in Wattsville had simply prompted certain drivers to veer onto the opposite carriageway to bypass them.
Cllr George recognised local worries about speeding but indicated that both this issue and lorry weight restrictions fell under police jurisdiction.
He also disputed Cllr Reed’s assertion that lorry traffic had risen, informing the meeting that variations in traffic levels from year to year do not provide any practical value, as HGV movements will naturally fluctuate in line with business activity, which is largely outside the council’s control.
He additionally noted that the council’s capacity to conduct additional traffic studies had been constrained because the traffic management team does not currently have the funding or resources to carry out routine monitoring of the highway network.
He stated that further surveys would only be undertaken where new developments or roads would produce significant changes to traffic patterns.