The A5025 is an essential highway link for the island, it is a holiday route giving access to some excellent resorts and a daily commuter route.
Over the years sections of the A5025 have been improved, some where carried out when Wylfa A was built, other sections may be improved in conjunction with Wylfa B i.e Llanfachraeth bypass.
Even then far too many road accidents on the A5025 have meant death. The Police and the Council’s Road Safety team would have investigated each tragic death. They will have made recommendations on road safety improvements required. The report of the coroner would also have been taken into account.
As a minimum road safety measures would have been put in place i.e. additional signs, changes to the road surface or reducing the speed limit on the substandard section of road.
Whilst a minimalist approach to road safety may reduce the risk of one type of accident, they are never the answer in the long term. Reducing the risk of an accident brought about by one set of circumstances may sadly increase the chances of another type of accident. This is known as the law of unintended consequences.
In the long term the only real answer is for the A5025 to be improved to meet current standards, and there are very good reasons why, here are just three:
However all things costs money, and we haven’t got much of it left in the pot we are told.
But sometimes it makes sense to borrow to invest in the future, because of the potential number of lives saved, the economic investment that could be brought about following a infrastructure improvement, and not forgetting the jobs it would support, albeit in the short term, whilst the highway works are carried out.
I trust all candidates standing for the Anglesey constituency at the Welsh Assembly will make the improvement of the A5025 one of their priorities.
Over the years sections of the A5025 have been improved, some where carried out when Wylfa A was built, other sections may be improved in conjunction with Wylfa B i.e Llanfachraeth bypass.
Even then far too many road accidents on the A5025 have meant death. The Police and the Council’s Road Safety team would have investigated each tragic death. They will have made recommendations on road safety improvements required. The report of the coroner would also have been taken into account.
As a minimum road safety measures would have been put in place i.e. additional signs, changes to the road surface or reducing the speed limit on the substandard section of road.
Whilst a minimalist approach to road safety may reduce the risk of one type of accident, they are never the answer in the long term. Reducing the risk of an accident brought about by one set of circumstances may sadly increase the chances of another type of accident. This is known as the law of unintended consequences.
In the long term the only real answer is for the A5025 to be improved to meet current standards, and there are very good reasons why, here are just three:
- To make the road safer and reduce needless lives being lost.
- To provide better access to Amlwch, a poor area on the island in need of jobs.
- To provide quicker emergency response times for emergency vehicles.
However all things costs money, and we haven’t got much of it left in the pot we are told.
But sometimes it makes sense to borrow to invest in the future, because of the potential number of lives saved, the economic investment that could be brought about following a infrastructure improvement, and not forgetting the jobs it would support, albeit in the short term, whilst the highway works are carried out.
I trust all candidates standing for the Anglesey constituency at the Welsh Assembly will make the improvement of the A5025 one of their priorities.
1 comment:
At least the law of unintended consequences is a 'known unknown'.
A 'known known' is that no matter how much more money is spent on Amlwch things are unlikely to improve any time soon.
What worries me is all the 'unknown unknowns'.
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