Welsh Conservative candidate for Llanelli blasts fines issued at Trostre Roundabout

Charlie Evans, Welsh Conservative candidate for Llanelli at the General Election, has labelled the amount of money collected by Carmarthenshire Council through fines issued at Trostre Roundabout, a “complete farce”.

This follows a report by WalesOnline which showed the local authority issued more than £500,000’s worth of fines to motorists in an 11 month period.

Charlie wrote to Cllr Edward Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure. He said,

“I am writing to express serious concerns about the overwhelming amounts of money that the County Council is pocketing from fines issued from cars going down the bus lane adjacent to McDonalds at Trostre Roundabout. A story in WalesOnline has exposed the sheer scale of these fines, with residents and visitors being punished for the signs not being clear enough.

“The Council has raised more than half a million pounds, from December 2022 to November 2023. It has caught out more than 15,000 drivers, equivalent to the population size of Carmarthen. This must be one of the most profitable money-raising schemes in the county.”

Evans went on to ask.
“Will you use some of the £509,525 to invest in proper signage at the roundabout to help prevent visitors making innocent mistakes?
How much of the £509,525 so far has been invested in Llanelli’s highways and local services?”

Cllr Thomas responded by saying, “Firstly, I must apologise for the tardy reply, but I needed to re-check the facts again with officers who are more closely involved. I am happy to report that all approach roads to the roundabout include advance signs warning approaching drivers that one of access roads is restricted in line with Road Traffic Regulations .On the roundabout itself , the presence of the bus lane is then clearly shown with appropriate signs which are reinforced with additional carriageway markings on a red surface.

“The money raised from the fines are invested into local transport and highway services to improve service provision and infrastructure across the county. We have several road projects in and around Llanelli.”

Following Cllr Thomas’ response, Charlie said, “I am disappointed that the Plaid Cymru-run Carmarthenshire Council is not listening to the concerns raised by local people. Where fines are typically issued, it is of course the fault of the motorist. Nobody is asking for these fines to be reimbursed. But the sheer volume of the fines being issued, should cause the Council to ask what is going on.

“The fact that they have now repeatedly said that the case is closed, shows they are putting profit before people. It’s why I am describing this as Plaid’s ‘magic roundabout’.

“I’m calling on the Council to do the right thing- end this complete farce by investing in better signage on Trostre roundabout, and use the money raised to support things such as Llanelli’s school bus services that are under threat.”