A40 Monmouth: temporary speed limits highlight safety campaigners concern

3.06.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 20th Jun 2005

A campaign to make Monmouth safer has received a boost after it was announced that traffic speeds along a stretch of the A40 Monmouth by-pass are to be cut to 40mph in the interest of safety while maintenance work is carried out on the Gibraltar Tunnels.

This morning's news was welcomed by Drop It To 40! Campaigner and County Councillor Eileen Goodrich. She said, "If traffic speeds can be reduced on a temporary basis for maintenance there's no reason for the Labour Assembly Government can keep speeds to 40mph on a permanent basis."

Work on the Gibraltar tunnels is expected to start in July with a contraflow system being introduced 50 metres north of the tunnels (Monmouth side) to 750 metres south (Mitchel Troy side).

Michael German, Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for the area, joined campaigners last week in renewing their long-running fight for a safer speed limit. He said, "There is now an opportunity for the Labour Assembly Government to monitor and evaluate the new traffic speed and I will be pursuing the demand to drop speeds to 40mph with the Assembly's Transport Minister. The proposed traffic order states that it is necessary to reduce traffic to a maximum of 40mph 'in the interest of road safety'. Those same safety interests would be best served by a permanent cut in the speed limit, as demanded by local people."

Meanwhile, Councillor Goodrich reports that she is receiving many calls and e-mails in support of the Drop It To 40! campaign. "Since last weeks demonstration at the traffic lights we're are collecting a large number of signatures for the campaign."