Your article in last week’s Tivyside (November 29) about the 3-year-old traffic lights on the A478 outside Cardigan highlights a big problem for traffic accessing the town or the bypass. And for emergency services using that highway. How much is it costing to hire traffic lights for over 1000 days and rising?

And more problems have been created by Ceredigion County Council within the town that affect everyone. High parking charges payable only by card machines (which have been used by scammers with false QR codes to defraud visitors), and poor public toilet provision with only two within reasonable walking distance of the centre and the nearest one at the bottom of a steep hill. Disabled people or those with restricted mobility are put off using the town shops, and many shoppers go to the supermarkets with free level parking and toilets instead. 

Since the pandemic, the Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders traffic schemes have mostly been kept, much to the detriment of traders in Cardigan. The pavement café areas in Pendre are right next to the constant stream of traffic emitting exhaust fumes. That air pollution has been exacerbated by the one-way systems in Chancery Lane and at the top of Pwllhai. Whereas for decades any vehicles coming from the south to access only High Street or Chancery Lane could make a short exit via St Mary Street or Pwllhai and back around the castle, now all those vehicles are forced to exit via Pendre and Feidr Fawr thereby adding to the pollution.

After St Mary Street reverted to its original one-way direction, I tried several times to find out why Pwllhai and Chancery Lane did not revert to two-way, as they were causing increased pollution in Pendre. No answers came back from the two Councillors (pre- and post-election) responsible for Highways. I put in a reasoned argument about this into the consultation process. My objection was not included in the report from the Council Cabinet meeting last June, where the decisions were made to keep most of the new arrangements, and so I suspect that many more objections were left out.

Four businesses around Chancery Lane/Pwllhai objected to the new one-way systems as they could no longer legally access their premises with larger vans or lorries due to the tight turns from St Mary Street and Morgan Street. The official response?  “The one-way on Chancery Lane was introduced to assist with a transformation for pedestrian safety for the area outside the Original Factory Shop.”  “….many pedestrians seem to walk in the road across this space at present”.   “It is not reasonable to expect the Authority to engineer roads to suit any one specific business or household.” “The current measure makes possible a variety of options for the redevelopment of the space outside the Original Factory Shop.”

They seem bemused that pedestrians should walk in the road! There is no other way of proceeding along the High Street eastern pavement without crossing Chancery Lane, and vehicles denied access to it park there to make deliveries. How can it be made safer for pedestrians? I have even seen a large lorry reversing down the Lane to access premises nearer St Mary Street.

Now, with Morgan Street and Carrier’s Lane closed for resurfacing for four days, no vehicle can legally access Pwllhai, including the vet surgery.

One can only conclude that the County Council’s only interest in Cardigan and its environs lies in the ‘cash cow’ parking arrangements. This lack of interest in problems they have created for visitors and traders are demonstrated in the report response: “Shopping habits and trends are outside the scope of the ETROs.”  They have changed the town, and not for the better.

Janine Wimhurst,

Cilgerran