A WELSH government report into the safety of the A466 Wye Valley Link Road has brought damning criticism.

The report, which was meant to be finished last September, was finally presented to Chepstow Town Council and Monmouthshire County Council nearly 12 months after it was commissioned.

The report concludes that, despite the two fatalities in the last five years, there is not a trend that can be attributed to an inherent safety problem with the road and the main cause lies with road user error.

Of the 11 original options the report considers three are preferred. The ‘do-minimum’ option involves the addition of road markings and traffic signs and the removal of lay-bys and the removal of the Public Right of Way (PROW).

The ‘do-something’ option proposes the closure of the northbound lay-by, and upgraded southbound lay-by which is set aside from the road, the addition of a central reserve, a 50mph speed limit and the removal of PROW.

The ‘do-more’ option incorporates the changes of the ‘do-something’ option with the addition of speed enforcement cameras.

The report also notes that the road does not meet the collision threshold required for a 60mph road to be reduced to 50mph.

Chepstow Town Council has long called for changes to the road but Mayor Paul Pavia said the report has not come close to their expectations.

“I’m bitterly disappointed in the outcome of this report; but I’m even more disappointed for the families who have had loved ones seriously injured or killed on this stretch of road.

“It seems, just like the future of the A48, the Welsh Government just doesn’t get it.

“The publication was delayed by several months and having been promised a lot as a community, the Welsh Government have delivered very little.”

Mr Pavia said the report is indecisive when it comes to the safety of the road, its users and its future.

“Why have they put forward so many options, when it’s clear they want to do the bare minimum?” he added.

“It’s obvious what needs to happen. For safety, they need to remove the lay-bys from both sides of the road and find a suitable location on the New House Farm estate to site a car share facility and a truck rest-stop area.

“Then in terms of developing capacity for the road, which the town will badly need in the near future, they need to dual the road in its entirety from the Highbeech roundabout.

“Either the Government is naïve, its penny-pinching or it just doesn’t understand the needs of the community – or its a mix of all three options.”

Monmouthshire County Council welcomed the finished report, Paul Keeble, Highways Group Engineer said: “The council welcomes the study on the A466 Wye Valley Link Road carried out by the Welsh Government. The safety of commuters who park within the laybys and cross the road to car share is a concern.

"Hopefully the report will identify measures to make it safer for pedestrians to cross this busy road or discourage this practice and consider alternative parking."