An environmental group has been thanked by Monmouth MP David Davies for hosting a public meeting to discuss Chepstow’s chronic traffic problems.
Transition Chepstow organised the meeting at Chepstow School on Thursday evening (11 April) where local residents were able to suggest and debates ways of reducing air pollution and frequent gridlock in and around the town during peak commuter hours.
As well as looking at long-term solutions such as electric cars and better rail links, the group put forward a detailed presentation on how congestion could be eased with better designed roundabouts.
Mr Davies said: “Traffic is grinding to a halt in Chepstow partly as a result of the enormous amount of house-building going on in the Forest of Dean.
“Air pollution levels in the Hardwick Hill area now regularly breach World Health Organization (WHO) limits. Transition Chepstow has looked carefully at this and come up with simple solutions that could make a big difference.
“There were representatives of Monmouthshire County Council and the Welsh Government’s transport department at the meeting and I will be writing formally to ask them to properly consider the plans to change the roundabouts around to allow a smoother flow of traffic.
“I still believe the long-term answer is a bypass. Traffic travelling from Gloucestershire towards the M48 and M4 should not be going through Chepstow. However, local residents should not have to wait years for action to be taken and we need solutions now.”