A55 and A483 two of most dangerous roads in Wales
Wales’ most dangerous roads have been named amid calls for the Government to do more to make them safer.
New government data pinpointed the sites that have seen four or more crashes- leaving people dead or injured – between 2013 and 2015.
Sites include two accident clusters on the A55 and two on the A483.
The most dangerous patches of road in North Wales appear to be Junction 19 on the A55 and Queensferry Roundabout on the A494.
Both spots have seen a total of six accidents that caused injuries over the course of the three years – although no one was killed in any of the crashes.
The only accident cluster that has seen a crash in which someone was either killed or seriously injured was the A483 Wrexham by A525 Ruthin Road – where work is currently being undertaken to improve safety.
Last month the Ken Skates, economy secretary, announced a review into further improvements to the A55.
He said: “Easter saw the culmination of four years of imperative improvement work to tunnels on the A55, and this is alongside recent road surface improvements, flood alleviation work and urgent maintenance work.
“The investment in improving the condition of our roads and the major proposals we have in the pipeline to address congestion points on the network will greatly improve the travelling experience along the A55.
“I am, however, determined to look beyond these interventions, ensuring journeys along the A55 are as reliable as possible – delivering for locals, businesses and visitors alike.
“The resilience study I am commissioning will help determine how best to achieve this, and will be based on the most recent data figures from Welsh Government and others.
“My intention is to look again at all aspects of the road, identifying where and how best to improve the travel experience and how to minimise the frequency and impact of incidents and breakdowns. This will complement existing plans for improvements whilst continuing to ensure the disruption of roadworks are kept to an absolute minimum.”
However, Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru’s North Wales AM, said the Government needed to do more for roads in the region.
He said: “There are long-standing accident hotspots across the road network in the North. There is some investment taking place but North Wales is not getting its fair share of road investment from the Labour Government in Cardiff.
“The obsession with spending £1.2 billion on an 11-mile stretch of the M4 at Newport dwarfs every other road improvement scheme in Wales and we urgently need a re-balancing of spending priorities to ensure a fair deal for the North.”
