Politicians ‘spouting hot air on clean air’ claims Llanelli anti pollution campaigner

A Llanelli resident has appeared on national TV to highlight the dreadful air pollution on Sandy Road where he has lived for most of his life. He claims that the local MS and MP are spouting hot air when it comes to cleaning up the pollution along one of Llanelli’s most polluted roads.

Ray Jones is a well known campaigner for an alternative route for the traffic which has blighted Sandy Road over the years. Ray has consistently campaigned for a secondary road, which travels parallel with the railway line or an exit road out of the Stradey Estate, which links up with the West End road.

Despite all his pleas and publicity he is no closer to convincing the local council or the elected representatives at the Senedd or Parliament that this is good for local residents, who claimed they are suffering from illnesses as a direct result of traffic pollution.

‘Incredibly’ Ray claims that the council’s proposed solution is to take away the frontage of some homes on the road. Ray says this is madness and brings vehicles almost into the living rooms of some homes.

Ray has no doubt who is responsible for the lack of will and effort to help local residents. He claims that Lee Waters MS and Dame Nia Griffith MP have completely ignored his evidence and his pleas to stop the suffering of local families some of whom’s health has deteriorated through asthma. Ray also claims that homes have been damaged as a result in the increase in heavy traffic along the road. Ray said: “People have sold up because they just can’t stand the noise and pollution.

“I have lost count of the number of accidents along the road. Cars, lorries and buses ploughing into gardens. It is a miracle that no one has been killed sitting in the parlour watching the telly.

“It is OK for Lee Waters to talk about charging people for polluting along the M4 but what about the families on this road? He claims that for every £1 Welsh Government spend on his whacky cycling obsession they get £9 back. That is just the sort of idiotic and downright lie that he peddles to try and convince people that he is somehow winning the fight on Climate Change. It is brainwashing and greenwashing at best.”

We asked the Welsh Government about the claim made in a video posted by Lee Waters MS in which he claims that for every £1 Welsh Government spend on projects like the Llanelli to Hendy cycle path they get £9 back whereas for every £1 they spend on roads they are lucky to get anything back. We asked to see the research papers and any evidence to support the claim made by the Llanelli MS. We have not received any evidence to support the claim.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Creating more opportunities for active travel has clear benefits for our health and wellbeing and subsequently the economy.”

Ray sent us plans for his alternative route and said: “Attached is my ideal route for the Sandy By-Pass. Unlike Lee Waters, I have made provision for all – Traffic, pedestrians and cyclists alike. My plan relieves Sandy Road of :-

(a) Traffic congestion
(b) Pollution
(c) Vibration damage,
(d) RTA with traffic crashing into the frontages of the homes
(e) Frees up room for more development, both housing and otherwise

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“Nobody else is thinking of Sandy Road, just themselves. I have taken the By-Pass Route all the way to the Country Park.

“Why are we voting for politicians who are quite blatantly putting their own agendas before the needs of the people of Llanelli. How can spending millions on cycle paths take precedent over feeding hungry children, providing bus shelters so they can shelter from the rain, helping OAP’s with fuel costs, improving education, making sure we can see a dentist or a doctor and making sure our streets are free from drugs and crime. Instead they blame Westminster for everything.”

Between Sandy Road and the Stradey Park Hotel I think Labour are finished in this town in both Westminster and Cardiff

Ray Jones

The Welsh Government have published a Clean Air Plan clean-air-plan-for-wales-healthy-air-healthy-wales.