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Fencing put up to improve safety on the Wyllie bends has already failed, according to a mother whose daughter died in a crash there three years ago.
In February 2022, Caerphilly County Borough Council erected concrete post and chain-link fencing on the road between Ynysddu and Wyllie – at a cost of £350,000.
On Sunday, September 11, a van crashed through the fence creating significant damage – the driver was believed to be unharmed.
Jo Jones said she believes a higher level of safety precautions should be introduced to the stretch of road as she is “extremely concerned and worried for people’s safety”.
Ms Jones is the mother of 23-year-old Laurie Jones, who died after her car came off the B4251 in 2019.
Laurie, a nurse from Pontllanfraith, had been driving home from a shift at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff in the early hours of October 1, 2019 when she crashed. Her car was later found in the nearby Sirhowy River.
Ms Jones said: “The fencing has never offered me confidence as an appropriate safety measure and despite the eight bends in that stretch of road, I still feel that crash barriers and better lighting on pinch points would certainly offer more safety and should slow down vulnerable vehicles allowing other drivers time to react.”
Ms Jones said she has been repeatedly told by the council that she is not an expert and the council engineers are the professionals.
She added: “Overall it’s been a complete waste of public money and I’m not sure how many other fatal accidents or near misses are required for the council to become serious and apply higher standards of safety to the Wyllie bends.
“The recent accident evidences that it fails to offer any safety to vehicles and their drivers.”
When the concrete posts and chain link fencing was approved in February this year, Laurie’s grandfather Leighton Reardon raised his concerns.
He saidt the time: “I am quite pleased that something is going to be done, but I do not think this is the answer. The council should put safety first, not cost effectiveness.”
A council spokesman said: “An independent road safety assessment has been carried out at this site and all recommendations for improvements have been implemented.
“Although there was no recommendation for fencing to be installed, the authority took the decision to also install this as an additional measure.
“The fence in question is a standard highway boundary fence commonly used all around the country in similar instances.”
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