Concerns in Mochdre as pavement is used by parking cars

Nov 11 2010 by Richard Evans, North Wales Weekly News

Darren Millar, Adrian Tansley and Ian Robbins

A MEETING has been called to discuss the danger posed to school children and shoppers by people driving over a pavement to park.

Several businesses at the village shops in Mochdre have designated bays at the front of their stores for parking and loading, despite the pavement being a busy school bus stop area.

Now Clwyd-West AM Darren Millar has arranged a meeting with Conwy’s highways department fearing a child or shopper could be killed.

“I have been contacted by many local residents about this problem,” he said.

“It’s a disgrace that cars use the pavement to park in this way - it’s putting the safety of local shoppers and children getting to school at risk.

“I called this meeting to urge the council to take urgent action to ensure the safety of pedestrians. I’m pleased the council have committed to look at schemes to improve safety. The situation has dragged on for too long – something must be done.”

Conwy County Council has erected bollards at the western end of the row of shops preventing traffic travelling through and over the pavement – but the opposite end still remains open. Police have also put up posters in shops in an attempt to warn motorists about driving irresponsibly on the privately owned section of pavement.

Cllr Adrian Tansley fears for the safety of children walking to nearby Ysgol Cwstennin and Ysgol Babanod Mochdre: “In the morning there are vans driving on the pavement. You don’t teach kids to look left and right coming out of a shop onto the pavement with a little penny bag of sweets- you teach them to look at the road. I’ve had another elderly constituent hit by a vehicle. I don’t want there to be a fatality there before anything happens.”

Mr A Williams runs the What’s New electrical store and said children weren’t in any danger.

“It’s not a problem at all, it’s more likely people will get injured by kids on skateboards and bikes riding on the pavement,” he said.

“The row has been going for years, the issue is the pavement at the end of each shop belongs to the shop for parking.

“It’s not as if people are racing up and down everyday, it’s for parking and loading. There is no fuss, it’s a couple of local people being awkward.

“The only people who drive here are the business people, it is quite legitimate, it is as simple as that, and they tend to move their vehicles when the kids aren’t coming from school, and they are only doing 3mph.”

Gwyn Hughes is head of operations at Conwy County Council and urged drivers to park at a nearby car park: “Most of this pavement area is privately owned. We would urge drivers to park in the free council-owned car park around the corner in Station Road.”