Punchy
Registered User
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/4880288.stm
Motorists have been banned from going all the way round three roundabouts in a south Wales town centre to stop drivers using them as a race track.
The u-turn ban has been put in place on three roundabouts in Tredegar in Blaenau Gwent, between 2000 BST and 0400 BST.
The 18-month trial is a bid to stop convoys of so called boy racers from travelling around the town centre.
The council and police said the ban will be regularly assessed.
A spokesman for the council said: "A no u-turn traffic regulation order has been introduced by the county borough council at three roundabout locations within Tredegar.
"This has been done partnership with the police in an effort to remove anti-social behaviour during the evenings by some vehicle users.
"There are exemptions for emergency and highway maintenance vehicles.
"The traffic order is not intended to interfere with the normal running of public bus services and the police are aware of this.
"The traffic order has been introduced as an experimental order and will be reassessed during its 18 month period," he added.
The idea was implemented by Gwent Police who said that anyone caught flouting the ban would be issued with a fixed penalty notice.
Pc Tony Davies, the crime and reduction officer for the town said: "It is a way of trying to frustrate the convoys of cars going up and down the town with their music pumping.
"Last year there were convoys of up to eight or nine vehicles just going up and down in circuits and we hope that this will frustrate them.
"Maybe instead of going around the roundabouts and doing the lap again they will just keep going out onto the main road."
But he admitted that policing the ban would be difficult.
"We are hardly likely to have officers sat there babysitting the roundabouts every night but we will be monitoring it frequently," he said.
He said a similar roundabout ban was in place at nearby Blackwood.
:bang:
.
Motorists have been banned from going all the way round three roundabouts in a south Wales town centre to stop drivers using them as a race track.
The u-turn ban has been put in place on three roundabouts in Tredegar in Blaenau Gwent, between 2000 BST and 0400 BST.
The 18-month trial is a bid to stop convoys of so called boy racers from travelling around the town centre.
The council and police said the ban will be regularly assessed.
A spokesman for the council said: "A no u-turn traffic regulation order has been introduced by the county borough council at three roundabout locations within Tredegar.
"This has been done partnership with the police in an effort to remove anti-social behaviour during the evenings by some vehicle users.
"There are exemptions for emergency and highway maintenance vehicles.
"The traffic order is not intended to interfere with the normal running of public bus services and the police are aware of this.
"The traffic order has been introduced as an experimental order and will be reassessed during its 18 month period," he added.
The idea was implemented by Gwent Police who said that anyone caught flouting the ban would be issued with a fixed penalty notice.
Pc Tony Davies, the crime and reduction officer for the town said: "It is a way of trying to frustrate the convoys of cars going up and down the town with their music pumping.
"Last year there were convoys of up to eight or nine vehicles just going up and down in circuits and we hope that this will frustrate them.
"Maybe instead of going around the roundabouts and doing the lap again they will just keep going out onto the main road."
But he admitted that policing the ban would be difficult.
"We are hardly likely to have officers sat there babysitting the roundabouts every night but we will be monitoring it frequently," he said.
He said a similar roundabout ban was in place at nearby Blackwood.
:bang:
.
