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Safety measures need to be improved on the road where a 13-year-old boy was hit by a grit lorry, a councillor has demanded.
Councillor Elaine Forehead, who represents the Van ward, told Caerphilly Observer about long-standing concerns over pedestrian safety on the Lansbury Park Distributor Road, which runs from Bedwas Bridge roundabout to the Van Road roundabout.
“These concerns have always been brought to me by residents,” Cllr Forehead said. “I think there’s a lack of driver awareness on that road. It’s deceptive because it looks rural and can be hard to drive on at 30mph.”
There is a crossing point where the collision happened, but there are no road markings – only signs telling pedestrians they are not allowed beyond a certain point.
Last summer, Cllr Forehead, who is also the council’s cabinet member for social care, spoke with the local authority about putting a formal crossing in place near to where the boy was hit. She was told it did not match the council’s criteria.
She said: “I would like to see a crossing with traffic lights. I think drivers would automatically consider their speed if there was one in place.”
A speed assessment, requested by Cllr Forehead before Christmas last year, showed vehicles travelled at an average of 36mph along the 30mph stretch – a figure distorted, the councillor argued, by the bottleneck of Bedwas Bridge roundabout.
The road is often crossed by dog walkers, people going to the Fisherman’s Rest pub in Bedwas or the shop in Mornington Meadows, as well as Bedwas High School pupils.
Cllr Forehead also wants rumble strips on the road leading to the crossing point as well as a speed camera.
The collision between the grit lorry happened at around 8.20am on Thursday March 9, with the 13-year-old boy taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the grit lorry, a 36-year-old man, was arrested but released under investigation.
Speaking with the council’s highways department after the boy was knocked-down, Cllr Forehead said a safety assessment on the road will be carried out.
However, the area needs an average of 20 people crossing the road each hour to meet the criteria for a crossing, she said.
Cllr Forehead said: “My heart goes out to this young boy and his family. If there is anything I can do to stop this happening again I will.”
A Caerphilly County Borough Council spokesperson said the authority did not want to comment on issues such as speed while there is an ongoing police investigation.
Council leader Sean Morgan said: “Our thoughts are with the young person and his family and we wish him a swift and full recovery.
“As this matter is subject to a police investigation, it would not be appropriate for us to comment on the circumstances surrounding the accident at this stage.”
The council also said it is waiting on the outcome of the police investigation before carrying out any investigation of its own into the incident.
Gwent Police said it could not comment on the length of an open investigation – nor has it implied speeding was a factor in the collision.
Anyone with information or dashcam footage from the area between 8am and 8.30am on March 9 can contact Gwent Police by calling 101 or via direct message on social media quoting reference 2300076857. Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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