7. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Closure of the Menai Bridge

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:40 pm on 25 October 2022.

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Photo of Siân Gwenllian Siân Gwenllian Plaid Cymru 5:40, 25 October 2022

(Translated)

Thank you for the statement and an opportunity to discuss this important issue. As you know, I represent the constituency on the mainland closest to the Menai bridge and the Britannia bridge. It’s a very busy civic area, including businesses and shops, playing fields, a business park, a hotel, schools and hundreds of homes, and also this is where Ysbyty Gwynedd is. We had queues of nearly three hours just to leave the car park at the hospital, even before the cars joined the queues to cross the Britannia bridge. By now, hospital staff who live only a few miles away on Anglesey face a two-hour journey in each direction every day. So, what consideration are you giving to the specific situation that Ysbyty Gwynedd faces, in terms of the staff, the ambulance service, those who attend the clinics, and the patients and their families?

I agree that the Menai bridge had to be closed for safety reasons, despite the havoc that that has caused. I can see that. And anybody sensible would be able to see that. The safety problems came to the attention of officials last Wednesday—that’s what you said in your statement. I would suspect that, by now, enough time has passed in order to at least agree an alternative traffic plan, a temporary plan, for the area. When can we see the alternative traffic plan in terms of traffic flow, and, more importantly, when are we going to see that being implemented in the area?

Evidently, the situation as it is at present, with people taking two hours to reach Ysbyty Gwynedd from Anglesey, is not sustainable, so we have to bring forward another plan in order to improve traffic flow in the area, and I want to know when that will happen. We, on this side of the Chamber, want to see practical solutions for the benefit of local people while the bridge is being secured, and many constituents are bringing ideas forward that sound very sensible to me—practical ideas about how to improve traffic flow in the area. Are you willing to listen to some of those ideas?

We’ve shared a few this afternoon. Rhun ap Iorwerth and Carolyn Thomas have talked about the idea of creating three lanes on the Britannia bridge temporarily, with two open for traffic to the mainland in the morning, and two lanes open in the other direction in the evening. That sounds very sensible. If that isn’t possible, can we have an explanation as to why, because many people are asking why we can’t do that kind of thing?

So, I would just like to have some assurance from you that you’re willing to listen to such ideas. There are other ideas that are being postulated as well, in terms of doing things differently around some of the roundabouts in the area in order to improve the traffic flow temporarily. So, I hope that you are willing to listen to those ideas and appreciate the fact that we are trying to obtain solutions that will help people to reach the places they’re trying to get to more quickly than they're able to at present.