Family friends of a young man who lost his life in a motorbike crash on a dangerous Pembrokeshire junction are urging the authorities to put up Think Bike! signs there until a more permanent safety solution can be found.
Ashley Rogers of Kilgetty, was travelling along the A477 towards Pembroke when he was involved in a fatal road traffic collision at the Nash Fingerpost junction on the morning of Saturday, May 13.
The 29-year-old was due to be married in two weeks and leaves behind a very young son, fiancée and distraught family.
His death marked the third fatality on this particular stretch of road in the past 12 years.
Since his death calls have been made to improve safety measures at the junction.
A petition set up to this end has now attracted 6,623 signatures. It needs 10,000 signatures to be considered in the Senedd.
Click here to view the petition.
In the meantime, a family friend of Ashley and his family, Pembroke business owner Yvette Weblin-Grimsley, is urging the authorities to at least put up Think Bike! signs at the junction.
Yvette has also questioned why there are ‘dual carriageway’ signs at the junction when there is no dual carriageway ahead. She has been told by Traffic Wales that the central reservation on the road ‘by definition makes it a dual carriageway’ and that the signage is accurate.
“We need to bring about a layout change at the junction,” she said. “In the meantime perhaps some temporary Think Bike! signs could be erected at the junction to try to prevent this happening to any other families.”
It is understood that there is just one of these signs in Pembrokeshire, on the Fishguard Road.
“Ashley’s Mother and I were talking at the funeral and she said if a warning sign could be put up on the Nash Fingerpost junction while we wait for road improvements, if it saves one life, Ashley’s life won't have been in vain.
“Our hearts go out to all parties involved in this tragedy – it is too sad for words,” said Yvette.
“Something should have been done after the first fatality. Everyone in this part of Pembrokeshire knows it is an accident black spot and is a dangerous junction- it should have been a roundabout from the onset.”
Yvette added that she and her husband visited the junction at mid-morning on Friday, June 2 to take photos. In the ten minutes that they were there she says they witnessed three near misses.
“This junction is the only junction that all the huge oil Tankers use coming from the oil refinery,” she said.
“The tankers pull into the 'holding pen' in the middle and are too long to fit so they position their cabs to the extreme right at quite an alarming angle to be able to fit.
“Also this road junction to Pembroke is only going to get even busier as Pembroke is in the process of completing a state of the art visitor centre which will generate interest to locals and tourists alike.
“[If nothing is done] There will be another fatality.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel