Gwent Police i warning motoriss and car cruisers that Blackwood High Street is still closed on Thursday evenings.
The original closure order for Thursdays was granted in September 2009 in a bid to stop car cruisers racing through the town and police say the measure has been a success.
Permanent barriers for the closure – which takes place between 7pm and 4am – were introduced in January 2011.
Despite this, police say people still ignore the closure. In the last three weeks 40 tickets have been issued.
Inspector Mark Smith said: “The cruiser issue has been a historic problem for Blackwood town centre for many years. Since the road closure order came into place, my staff have robustly policed the High Street and I am extremely pleased to report that the issue is becoming less of a problem for local residents and visitors of the town.
“Unfortunately, we have now began to notice that local motorists are forgetting that the road closure is still in place and try to access High Street by ignoring either the physical barriers or illuminated signs.
“I would urge motorists to remind themselves of this closure, in particular I want parents to remind their children who drive into the town – as the robust approach of issuing fixed penalty tickets to those who contravene the road closure will continue, as I will not see Blackwood High Street suffer with vehicle related anti-social behaviour.”
My daughter attends dance classes in the Miners Institute on a Thursday night and has done for many years and to be honest I’ve never witnessed much of a problem. But I don’t live in Blackwood town maybe if I lived there I would see things differently. What I do see is an excessive amount of police (sometimes as many as 6 and thats just at the one end of town) stopping and issuing fines. I can say that I never see them issuing them to what are termed as ‘boyracers’ it always seems to be perents picking children up from the Institute out elderly people.
I understand that the High Street is closed and therefore people should not be driving on it but I feel that the problem does not seem to be as bad as it was reported to be in the first instance, and that maybe the issuing of fines is now being done as a way of increasing revenue form people who are not ‘joyriding’ but people who would on any other day, be seen to have a valid reason to be on the High Street.
Just incase people think I am embittered because I have been fined in the past them let me make it clear that I have not. I always arrive on the High Street before seven and stay for the duration of the lesson to ensure I can not be fined and that my daughter does not have to walk to far to the car when it is dark and wet, which is something that she feels uneasy about.
I also have been caught out and fined by accidently attempting drive on the Blackwood Town road on a Thursday. I was only trying to cut over and turn to go up the hill, by the side of Argos, and over to get to Hengoed. I did not realise as I do now but as soon as I went round that unecessary barrier, which only there between certain times on Thursdays but still allows taxis and buses access, I was stopped as well as a few others and fined on the spot.
I had not tryed to drive through Blackwood for a very long time and so to be given this instant fine I think is scandalous, extremely unfair and low down. I can't believe this £30.00 fine is being handed out to people who don't realise about the temporary road closure, who are only trying to use the road in a proper and legitimate way.
I am totally disgusted by those who are responsible for carrying out this appalling disservice to innocent motorists, that have been caught out by the road closure, such as myself!!