One-way plans would just cause more chaos, says Welshpool mayor

On Wednesday, a plan drawn up by the Welsh Government for proposed changes to the one-way system was discussed by councillors.

Councillors and residents have been pressing for changes ever since the system was introduced in 2011.

Earlier this week county councillor Graham Breeze said the plans were 'flawed and dangerous'.

They included a herringbone parking system similar to one on Newtown's Broad Street.

Calls for a light controlled crossing near the town hall and for Brook Street and Union Street to return to a two way system have been ignored in the proposals.

Following councillor Breeze's comments, the town's planning committee met and were firmly against the plans.

A meeting has now been sought and the committee want government officials to come to Welshpool and draw up fresh plans.

Councillor Kaye said: "It looks as if the plans have been drawn up by some computer whizz kid in Cardiff who has never even been to Welshpool.

"The plans are not at all good, and to be honest if these changes were made to the one way system it would create more traffic chaos than we have got now.

"They are just not on so we are going to get officials from Cardiff to come here and take photographs and put something together that is fit."

In 2015 a public meeting took place with calls made to make changes to the system.

Also in 2015, Dyfed-Powys Police revealed they had been called to 71 crashes on the system since it opened in March 2011.

The statistics were for High Street, Broad Street, Jehu Road, Brook Street, Union Street, Mill Lane, Church Street and Severn Street, with 19 collisions in the system in its first nine months.

Four of them involved injury.

Councillor Kaye added: "These current plans they've put forward would just cause massive queues tailing back to the bypass, and people would give up on coming to Welshpool.

"It is not fit for purpose and we will be having another meeting for another plan to be done."