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Petition Number: P-05-851 Petition title: Remove the time restrictions on the layby to the east of Crickhowell Text of petition: We call on the Welsh Government to remove the time restriction on the layby to the east of Crickhowell.  At present it has a time limit of one hour. It is the only such layby with this restriction on the A40 in Wales. There is rarely a car there as to go into town for a cup of tea would exceed the time limit.

 

Background

Trunk road network

In Wales, the highway authority for local roads is the local authority whilst the highway authority for the trunk road and motorway network is the Welsh Ministers. The A40 is a major trunk road linking London to Fishguard and forms part of the Welsh trunk road network. The Welsh Ministers are therefore the highway authority for the Welsh section of the road.

While statutory responsibility for the trunk road network rests with the Welsh Ministers, the Welsh Government funds two Welsh trunk road agents who are responsible for the day to day operation, maintenance and minor improvement of the network: 

§    the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent (NMWTRA); and  

§    the South Wales Trunk Road Agent (SWTRA).  

Traffic Regulation Orders

Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) provide the legal powers to prohibit or restrict traffic for various traffic control purposes and may be either permanent or temporary in nature. TROs can be made by the relevant traffic authority for the road under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (the 1984 Act). The Welsh Government is the relevant traffic authority for the trunk road network in Wales.

Section 2 of the 1984 Act sets out what a TRO may provide for. This includes (emphasis added):

(a) requiring vehicular traffic, or vehicular traffic of any class specified in the order, to proceed in a specified direction or prohibiting its so proceeding;

(b) specifying the part of the carriageway to be used by such traffic proceeding in a specified direction;

(c) prohibiting or restricting the waiting of vehicles or the loading and unloading of vehicles;

(d) prohibiting the use of roads by through traffic; or

(e) prohibiting or restricting overtaking.

Parking in Crickhowell

As reported in January 2014 to Powys County Council’s (now disbanded) Brecknockshire Committee (PDF,68KB), the local authority met with NMWTRA regarding all day parking and trading within the laybys on the A40 trunk road in Crickhowell. It was agreed to introduce limited waiting restrictions and prohibition of waiting at any time restrictions within these laybys.

NMWTRA requested that the local authority carry out the Order implementation process. The local authority agreed to include these proposals as part of a wider review of parking in Crickhowell planned for later in 2014, and which was subject to public consultation. This wider review included parking on the local road network, for which the local authority is the highway authority. 

As reported in the media, there were local objections to the restrictions proposed for the laybys and to the wider proposals in relation to parking in Crickhowell. A number of the proposals in relation to the local road network were not taken forward as a result of these objections.

Welsh Government Action

In his letter to the Chair of the Petitions Committee, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport states:

…although I appreciate the concerns raised regarding lack of parking provision in the town, trunk road laybys are not provided for use as car parks.

The Cabinet Secretary’s letter goes on to state that the reason the time restriction was introduced at this layby was due to misuse by traders and the layby being used for long term parking. The Cabinet Secretary indicates he understands the petitioner has agreed they should contact the local authority, which is responsible for the local road network including on-street parking, regarding issues concerning parking in Crickhowell town centre.