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Published in the Daily Post, 6 August 2015
Dear Editor
Bontnewydd Bypass – Safety Fears over Goat Roundabout
As well as being a busy road junction and one end of the proposed Bontnewydd bypass, the roundabout near the Goat Hotel, Llanwnda is also the crossing point for cyclists and pedestrians using the long established Lon Eifion trail. Built on the track of the old railway line from Caernarfon to Bryncir, the route has proved extremely popular since its establishment in the 1980s. Local people, out with children or walking a dog, enjoy being away from roads, and the same goes for the many local cyclists who use the track. As part of the Route 8 National Cycle from Cardiff to Holyhead, and the original coastal walking route around Lleyn, Lon Eifion is a valuable asset.
Currently, walkers and cyclists cross the A499 Pwllheli road as Lon Eifion reaches the roundabout at the Goat, relying on motorists giving way or a gap in the traffic. Whilst not the ideal situation, this appears simple compared to the ideas being presented for when the bypass is built. At the exhibition in Caernarfon we were told that the plan is for cyclists and walkers to cross both the A487 Caernarfon road and then the A487 Porthmadog road where they join the new, enlarged roundabout. So, a multi-million pound bypass, intended to help the flow of transport, would see traffic halted while pedestrians and cyclists crossed two very busy roads. Alternatively, there is the much more dangerous scenario of traffic flowing while cyclists and pedestrians, including children, try to find a way through. Is this the best our road designers can come up with?
Surely the only answer at the Goat is a bridge to carry Lon Eifion over the roundabout, giving safety for those on foot or bike, while maintaining a better flow for road traffic. Expensive, perhaps, but small fry compared to the bill for the whole bypass.
Dave Woods