South Wales Central MS Andrew RT Davies has demanded action on HGVs and articulated lorries causing disruption on roads around Peterston-super-Ely and Pendoylan.
Mr Davies has been inundated with concerns from constituents, who complain that HGVs using the narrow roads connecting both villages cause frequent tailbacks.
A lack of passing places means that queues form quickly, with the roads getting clogged and jammed.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Davies said ministers had rightly dropped an “overengineered” proposal to build a link road with Cardiff Airport, which would have decimated the Vale countryside.
But he said that did excuse inaction to remove bottlenecks, which should have been addressed.
Mr Davies said:
“These bottlenecks are causing a considerable safety hazard for residents of Pendoylan.
“Just this week, a constituent approached me about a blockage that lasted several hours, which would have prevented an emergency vehicle accessing the village.
“I backed Pendoylan residents in their campaign against the overengineered plans to build a link road through the village to Cardiff Airport.
“The proposed viaduct would have decimated the countryside, and it was rightly dropped.
“However, this does not excuse inaction on the lack of passing places along the road. Senedd ministers must listen to residents and sort this problem out.”
ENDS
Please find below the Senedd’s Record of Proceedings from 17th June 2025
https://record.senedd.wales/Plenary/15147
Andrew RT Davies
Could I seek two statements, please, leader of the house? One is in relation to the road from Sycamore Cross to the Miskin junction of the M4, which I’m sure you’re familiar with. It was a Welsh Government priority to build a new road linking those two points. That was dropped by the Welsh Government. It was a severely overengineered proposal that would have decimated the countryside. But instead of coming back with a revised proposal, the Welsh Government has left this critical piece of infrastructure to its own devices. Many obstacles now prevent traffic flowing along that road. Only today, I had a constituent highlight how an articulated lorry caused a blockage there for several hours, and there is real risk for emergency vehicles accessing the village of Pendoylan. So, we need a statement from the Welsh Government to understand if they will be bringing forward any new proposals to work with the Vale council to improve that bit of infrastructure and create greater passing places to allow traffic to flow.
Jane Hutt
Thank you for those two questions, Andrew R.T. Davies. Yes, I’m very familiar with the link between Sycamore Cross, Five Mile Lane, the A48 and the M4. I’m very mindful of the extensive consultation that took place, as you will recall, when more than one proposal came forward to create that link. It is something that there was extensive consultation on. I have to say there was huge opposition to the creation of a new road through that rural area. But again, this is something that, in terms of the use of that link to the M4, I know is well used. That is a matter for the local authority in terms of their management of that road.