Penarth one-way traffic plan dropped in face of opposition

The one-way plans were in response to concerns about the speed of traffic through the junction

Plans for a £1.2m one-way system in a south Wales town have been dropped in the face of opposition from residents.

Plassey Street in Penarth would have been turned into a one-way route into the town centre under the plans.

Local people claimed it would increase traffic on Windsor Road as the only route out of town towards Cardiff.

Vale of Glamorgan Council bosses said they would now look at other measures to make the Plassey Street/Windsor Road junction safer.

The plans were drawn up following concerns about safety at the location following a series of crashes, some caused by motorists failing to look properly before driving around the small roundabout.

Rather than remove the roundabout and make Plassey Street one-way, the council will now consider making the roundabout bigger.

It is hoped this would reduce the speed of vehicles going through the junction alongside adding toucan crossings on both roads.

'Deck chairs on the Titanic'

Bat Goddard, who has lived in Plassey Street since 1981, welcomed the scrapping of the one-way plan but said traffic would still be busy.

"They're just moving around the deck chairs on the Titanic," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Logic tells me that if you've got two roads exiting town that's better than putting all that traffic on a road that's no wider."

Geoff Cox, cabinet member for neighbourhood services and transport, said he postponed a cabinet discussion of the one-way plan as he "became more aware of the strength of local feeling".

He said a revised report to be discussed by cabinet in February puts forward a scheme which "enhances the gateway route into Penarth whilst providing much safer crossing opportunities for cyclists and pedestrians".

"It is very difficult to please everyone with highway improvement schemes but I very much hope that this option provides the active travel benefits we are seeking and is viewed by residents and visitors to Penarth as being the most appropriate."