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Green Solutions
The road review panel for Llanbedr Bypass, chaired by Lynn Sloman from Transport for Quality of Life, was asked by the Welsh Government to assess Llanbedr and its need for the Bypass. You can read the whole review here.
The suggested solutions outlined in the report are below and the review board stated;
"The solutions align closely with national priorities as set out in Llwybr Newydd, and would also align with the Wales Well-being Goals and Gwynedd Council’s own Well-being Objectives. They could have beneficial effects beyond Llanbedr itself, potentially reducing the negative impact of traffic on other villages on the A496, such as Tal-y-Bont and Dyffryn Ardudwy."
Please see the green alternatives to the bypass that the review panel suggested below:
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Interventions to reduce traffic during the holiday season
Seasonal traffic flows might be addressed through an area-wide sustainable tourism strategy (as is currently being considered in the northern area of Snowdonia National Park). This would benefit not only Llanbedr, but also other villages along the A496. Drawing on initiatives elsewhere in Wales and the UK, the sort of options that could form part of such a strategy include Fflecsi buses serving primary tourist destinations such as Shell Island (similar to those now being offered by Transport for Wales in the LlÅ·n Peninsula and Pembrokeshire); free park and ride hubs in key regional towns such as Barmouth and Porthmadog; greater use of visitor charges to provide a revenue stream for improved public transport (e.g. a toll for non-residents using Mochras Road in the summer); rebranding of Llanbedr railway station (e.g. “Llanbedr for Shell Island”) to establish a greater sense of geographic understanding; provision of a shared use segregated path next to Mochras Road, to provide a better link from the station to Shell Island for pedestrians and cyclists; a “last mile” bus from the station to Shell Island campsite, timed to connect with trains; and incentives or discounts for those travelling to Shell Island by sustainable modes. By encouraging visitor travel by sustainable modes, this type of strategy would benefit the local economy, as visitors travelling by public transport or active travel would be more likely to shop locally than visitors arriving by car. This type
of strategy for managing visitor travel is common (and effective) in many European visitor destinations, it has also been used to good effect in the UK in the New Forest National Park and elsewhere.
Traffic calming and lower speeds in Llanbedr
Traffic calming and speed restrictions could reduce the adverse impact of traffic in Llanbedr. Changes that could be considered include a default 20mph speed limit along the A496 within Llanbedr village and along the residential sections of Mochras Road; design of the road environment to prioritise and give space to the needs of people who are shopping, walking, cycling or accessing premises, and to send a visual signal to drivers that they are a “guest”; traffic lights to manage alternating one-way traffic flow through the village, or use of “yellow box” road markings to manage the junction between Mochras Road and the A496; and extension of existing on-street parking restrictions further away from the Afon Artro bridge and junction with Mochras Road.
Infrastructure to encourage mode shift from car to active travel
Like other local authorities, Gwynedd Council has recently consulted on its Active Travel Network Maps for the main settlements in the county. It is apparent from the consultation that there is also a desire for safe active travel routes between smaller settlements along the A496. A safe walking and cycling path between Harlech and Barmouth (and connecting across Barmouth Bridge with the Mawddach Trail to Dolgellau) would meet this need. To be suitable for all users, it would need to be physically separated from traffic. This would benefit both residents and visitors. It would align with the commitment in the Welsh Government Rural Transport Offer to give every village safe cycling access to the nearest town.
Improvements in the frequency of public transport services along the A496 corridor
Current bus services are infrequent, with seven buses per day from Llanbedr northwards to Harlech, and seven buses per day southwards to Dolgellau. Bus times do not align well with commuting times. Train services on the Cambrian Rail Line are timed for the needs of school pupils (although the line is currently closed for major works on Barmouth Bridge), but provide only very limited options for commuter travel. This means that people living in Llanbedr do not have good public transport options for travel to work, or for shopping and other purposes. Transport for Wales is currently undertaking analysis to develop improved, more frequent bus services on networks in other areas of North Wales (initially Ynys Môn and northern Snowdonia), and a similar exercise would be beneficial for the corridor between Barmouth and Porthmadog. This would help meet the commitment in the Welsh Government Rural Transport Offer to develop public transport service frequency standards for every village and town, based on population. It is worth noting that in similar rural areas in some other European countries, services for villages like Llanbedr would be more frequent, would start earlier and finish later, and would run to the same frequency on Sundays as on Monday – Saturday.
Development of remote working hubs to reduce the need for office- based workers to travel to their workplace every day
Welsh Government has set a target for 30% of all employees to work from home, or a hub close to home on a regular basis, and is trialling remote working hubs. Development of remote working hubs in Harlech, Porthmadog and Barmouth (and potentially also ‘micro-hubs’ in villages along the A496) could reduce the number of people travelling to work by car along the A496.
Management of freight traffic to and from the Airfield
If there is a need for occasional delivery of large freight loads to the Airfield these could be scheduled to avoid using the A496 / Mochras Road at times of day / week / month when there will be heavy holiday traffic. More thorough investigation of non-road (i.e. rail, sea) options for freight deliveries to the Airfield should also take place, once the freight requirements (frequency and size of load) for future uses of the Airfield are more fully defined.
Modestly-set road user charge
In the medium term, after progress has been made on the solutions noted above so that residents and visitors have better alternatives to driving, a modestly-set road user charge, or “Carbon Charge” could be introduced. This would need to be implemented in the context of the wider Llwybr Newydd commitment to establish a framework for fair and equitable road user charging. It might involve differential charges for residents and visitors, with the money raised being used to provide benefits such as better public transport services, and potentially also to support important community services such as village schools. Like the plastic bag levy, which has significantly reduced the number of single use plastic bags sold by supermarkets while also raising money for good causes, this would encourage people to think about their travel options, and to use alternatives where possible.
“Moving the road sideways”: closure of the A496 through Llanbedr and construction of a low speed bypass
The layout and width of the proposed bypass is designed to allow vehicles to travel at speeds of 100kph (roughly 60mph). In discussions Gwynedd Council suggested it would be possible to redesign the Access Road and Bypass with a lower “design speed” (that is, a different layout and width), that would result in drivers travelling at speeds more like those on the A496 north and south of Llanbedr, where the average speed is 39mph. This might enable a design that was more in keeping with the existing landscape, without a cutting, embankment and grade-separated junction. To ensure that there was no increase in overall road capacity, it would be combined with closure of the A496 through Llanbedr for general traffic (except for vehicle access, and with a through-route for cyclists
and buses). This would avoid generating additional or “induced” traffic. Keeping vehicle speeds to around 40mph instead of 60mph would also avoid increased carbon emissions. Gwynedd Council suggested that the cost of such a scheme would be significant, and so it should be thought of as a last resort once other solutions have been tried.