Newtown traffic petition will go to Welsh Assembly

A petition signed by more than 10,000 people calling for a new roundabout to be installed in Newtown will be handed to the Welsh Assembly this week.

Town and county councillor Russell George said the petition would be handed in to a representative on the steps of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

He said: "Newtown has experienced huge traffic problems for many years and the problems have become significantly worse in the past 12 months.

"The Kerry Road traffic lights continue to cause serious problems. The Welsh Assembly approved the removal of the roundabout and the layout and design of the new traffic system.

"There is a widely-held opinion that although the roundabout did not work well, it worked much better than the traffic lights.

"These lights were put in place to work in conjunction with the new traffic management system, but many agree that this system has never worked and that traffic problems have significantly increased since."

He added: "The current chaos is causing significant damage to the local economy and the wider Mid Wales community.

"Businesses to the west of Newtown are suffering. Newtown is a central point in Wales, but even businesses as far away as Aberystwyth are being affected by this mess."