CONCERNED Gwynedd residents gathered at a public meeting this week to discuss traffic problems in their villages.

People living in Glasinfryn, Waen Wen and Caerhun, villages just outside Bangor, voiced their opinions on speeding vehicles which they believe are threatening public safety.

Many of those in attendance agreed that large vehicles being driven through Glasinfryn are causing congestion and damage to the roads.

Pentir Councillor, Menna Baines, who represents the residents of all three villages, thanked those who turned up to share their views on the matter.

“I’m delighted to see so many residents attending the meeting to share their concerns with us,” she said.

“We decided to hold an open discussion about pedestrian safety in the village of Glasinfryn, because the road is so narrow with no pavement to walk on.

"The situation is worse during weekdays in the morning and afternoon as the roads are busier at those times of the day as people take their children back and forth to school or travel back and forth to work.

"The safety of residents is paramount, so it's good that we’ve been able to raise these issues with the appropriate authorities.”

Arfon Assembly Member Sian Gwenllian worked with Cllr. Baines to arrange the meeting.

“It’s clear that the residents of Glasinfryn have had enough of the speeding traffic that drives through the village." Ms. Gwenllian said.

"The narrow roads of small villages like Glasinfryn weren’t built to deal with so many vehicles or such large ones.

"We hope to be able to work with the villagers, the county council and the police to look for a solution to this problem which has been worrying local people for a number of years.”

The other concern for local residents is the number of large vehicles apparently being directed through the area by sat nav equipment.

On some occasions, lorries have become stuck in the village or the surrounding area causing traffic gridlock, with some damaging the old stone bridge in Glasinfryn whilst another truck caught and dragged cables down in the centre of the village.

Following the meeting, Gwynedd Council has confirmed that traffic data collection equipment will be installed in the village for a period of seven days, as a first step.

If the data shows evidence of speeding vehicles, then an action plan will be considered to try and alleviate the issue.

Measures such as introducing a 20 mile per hour speed limit at Glasinfryn instead of the current 30mph could be tested in the coming months.

"I am grateful to colleagues for attending and also to the officials who came out to hear local people’s concerns and share their views.” said Cllr. Baines.