Helen Morgan MP is campaigning to get safety measures implemented at a dangerous crossroads in Llynclys, Oswestry.
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00:00Sir Helen, at the Clencleys Crossroads today there's been a lot of issues
00:04discussed in the past about this. What in your view is the particular dangers of
00:08this crossroads? Well National Highways are quite clear that this is the worst
00:12accident black spot in the whole Midlands. So we've had so many near misses,
00:17really dangerous crashes here. It's really obvious to me that we need to
00:21have either the junction redesigned or some speed cameras put in to
00:26try and keep people safe because it's a notoriously dangerous junction. Have you
00:30had many people contact you recently throughout this year talking about the
00:34junction and how bad it is? Absolutely and we get constant correspondence from
00:38people who live in this area but also we knocked all of the doors of the people
00:42who live here during the general election and it's obviously it's their
00:44number one issue. It's a real problem. You hear lots of stories of local
00:48people driving a long way around to try and avoid using this junction. In
00:52February we reported that there was calls for a lower speed limit and that
00:57some things may come in like speed cameras. Have you got a progress update
01:00on that? Have you heard anything since? Well National Highways have got a couple
01:04of different types of plans in. They've got that one with the speed cameras and
01:07they've also got a plan for some traffic lights and what matters here is the
01:11funding. The funding formulas place a higher value on the speed of the traffic
01:15than they do on people's lives. So my job really is to lobby the government and
01:20get the best outcome here which is to you know is to say we can't afford to
01:24lose a life here. It's really important that we get some money put in to make
01:28this junction safe. And you said yourself you've experienced this crossroad many
01:31times. Can you talk about your personal experience and that you won't even
01:35approach it from a certain way? Yeah so I won't come straight across this
01:38crossroad. I find it you know it's not worth it. So I tend to go all the way
01:45around and turn left if I'm coming around here if I possibly can. How long
01:48do you think it could be until we see some measures maybe come into force here?
01:52Well the next round of spending for highways is called RIS 3 and
01:56that's been delayed by 12 months. So we might see some plans
02:01progress over the next year but we're not going to see anything tangible
02:04happen in that period. So I'll be pressing the Department for Transport
02:08really hard in that time to make sure that this is top of their priority list.
02:12What do you think the priority should be then here? Do you think any other
02:15measures other than speed cameras and speed reduction should be brought in?
02:19Well I think in an ideal world the junction would be redesigned. So you
02:24know we need to explore all the options. I think there are designs in place for
02:28all of those different options. But we need to do something. We can't afford to
02:31have a life lost while we're talking about the
02:34possibilities. And I'm sure you'll be working with the local group that's been
02:38set up for some time now throughout that process to try and get something done.
02:42Yes I've met them previously. Absolutely on board and supporting their efforts to
02:46get something done as well. The whole stretch of road is really dangerous.
02:50If you come through Pant and Hanamonoch just down there,
02:54the speed limit changes all the way along. We're very very hopeful that we're
02:59going to get that sorted out and a consistent speed limit put through there.
03:02But again you know just trying to get the funding signed off and get over that
03:06final hurdle is what I'm focusing on at the moment. Fingers crossed that will happen soon.
03:09Fingers crossed, yes.