Cars are being damaged by a poorly placed traffic island in a Swansea suburb, it is being claimed. People living in the area of Fforestfach say that a traffic island situated along Ystrad Road is causing problems. One man claims to have witnessed several cars being damaged as a direct result.
But the issue has caused a debate on social media, with many arguing whether the accidents are being caused by the skill of the driver, or the location of the island, which is situated near John Long Furniture Centre. Get Swansea stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
Some have written how they feel it simply "needs more thought" on the approach, whilst some think it is "very difficult to make a wide swing and avoid the island" and others feel it is "not the council's fault that people can't drive."
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Ben Smyth lives in the Fforestfach area and has seen first hand the problems that it has caused. He said: "I live locally and I've seen lots of things there over the last year or so. I've seen people just driving over it and their cars are fine, I've seen people who have actually had their cars overturned, and then last week the police were out and there was a 70 plate Volvo which had gone onto the island and couldn't drive off. The car was absolutely wrecked, but the police came and recovered the car.
"The island is too high, and whenever you're turning right, it's quite easy to drive over, and with the height of a normal car, it would absolutely wreck it. I have seen people scraping the side of their cars - it's just a bit of a hazard. It has been in place for over a year, a year and a half, and it's been an absolute hazard.
"There was a sign in place originally, but that sign isn't there anymore, it hasn't been replaced with people driving over it. I believe the island was put in place to stop lorries driving down that road because there is a restriction in place, but you just see buses driving straight down and going over the island, so it's a bit pointless the island being there. It's the hassle of the road being closed off when people have overturned their car. I drive quite often through there and it is a pain. It's something I've had to be aware of to take caution, but I know one day I'm going to clip it."
A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "“The traffic-calming measure has been in place for many years and is there to discourage HGVs from travelling to the nearby industrial estate via Swansea Road and Ystrad Road. The measures are also supported by clear signage to inform motorists of the restrictions relating to width and weight. Vehicles which exceed both the weight and width restrictions are advised to travel via the A484 & A483. No complaints have been received and there are no plans to make any changes to the current road layout.”
Swansea Council added it encourages residents to report any issues with roads and pavements including damaged benches and railings, graffiti, traffic lights, overhanging branches, highways safety for example rocks, obstruction and weeds, to them by clicking here.
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