Denbighshire village bus service axed following introduction of 20mph speed limit

  • ITV Wales Journalist Joanne Gallacher reports

Residents in a Denbighshire village say they feel like they are being "cut off" after their local bus service provider told them their stop was being axed following the introduction of the 20mph speed limit.

Arriva Wales will no longer serve the village of Llandegla from 14 January after reviewing its timetable and service provision in North Wales.

This will have a "huge impact" on everyone who relies on the service, according to Councillor Gwyneth Dillon, from Llandegla Community Council.

Locals residents have safety concerns about the location of the new bus stop. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

She told ITV Wales: "If the bus company pushes ahead with this and withdraws the bus service from the community it is going to cause a huge amount of hardship."

Ms Dillon says people at different stages of their lives, from the elderly to teenagers in college, will feel the impact of this change.

She said: "It's going to cause a huge amount of hardship, that includes health and social reasons."The college students won't be able to get to their colleges too."

There have also been some safety concerns voiced by service users about the location of the new bus stop.

Ms Dillon said: "It is in a very dangerous place, right at a staggered crossroads, with no lights, no pavements and most of all no shelter, whatsoever."

She also questioned how Arriva Wales has handled the situation and claims people living in the village had "hardly any notice at all".

She added: "They (Arriva Wales) said they carried out a consultation, that did not happen."

In a statement on its website, Arriva Wales said: "We have been reviewing our timetables since the introduction of the 20mph speed restriction, following this review we are now able to make a number of changes to our network across North Wales in January."

It outlined the services affected saying "number 51 and x51, Rhyl to Wrexham: Service 51 will no longer call into Tweadmill Shopping Outlet, on service x51 Llandegla will no longer be served, instead service will remain on A525".

"The timetable will be revised but there will be no change to the frequencies."

In a statement on its website, Arriva Wales says it is making "a number of changes" to its network across North Wales in January. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We have been clear we will continually monitor any impacts of the new default 20mph speed limit on bus services.

"We continue to work closely with bus operators, local authorities and TfW to tackle the wider challenges facing the bus industry and will bring forward new legislative proposals to reform the sector."

ITV Wales has asked Arriva Wales for a response.

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