Community councillors in Croesyceiliog and Llanyrafon have been told it’s “illegal” for them to pay for 20mph repeater signs on a road they say is not safe.

In October 2022, Cwmbran Life reported on the the community council’s request for traffic calming measures being refused on The Highway  as the road was “too narrow”. The Highway runs from Chapel Lane to the junction with Woodland Road, passing The Upper Cock Pub and Croesyceiliog Adult Education Centre.

Since then the Welsh Government has introduced a default 20mph limit in built-up areas where a driver sees a road with street lighting no more than 200 yards apart. This now applies to The Highway but community councillors say some drivers are continuing to exceed the former 30mph limit, even though the limit on the road has dropped to 20mph.

At the Croesyceiliog and Llanyrafon Community Council’s Business Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday 10 January, they talked about a request they made to Torfaen Council to pay for 20mph repeater signs to be fixed on lamposts to remind drivers of the new limit.

Councillor Colin Crick, Croesyceiliog South Ward and chair of the committee, told councillors that the county council had replied to their request to pay for the signs and told them the signs were “illegal”.

Cllr Sean O’Dobhain, Croesyceiliog North Ward, said that some 20mph signs had been “vandalised” in the county so they should wait “until things calm down before spending money on more signs”.

Cllr Crick said they weren’t spending any money until they found out why it was “illegal according to legislation in Wales” to have 20mph repeater signs.

Councillor Mark Price, Croesyceiliog South Ward, said cars travelled at a “blistering” speed down The Highway.

Cllr Crick said The Highway runs parallel with Edlogan Way yet they were “treated differently” by the county council. He said Edlogan Way had speed bumps and this has led to The Highway now being the “rat run”.

Edlogan Way also has four priority chicanes, each alternating on either side of the road, where vehicles have to give way to allow other drivers through.

The community council’s minutes from June 2022 about traffic concerns on The Highway recorded: “Members were particularly worried about excessive speeding placing pedestrians in real danger including very young children.”