A controversial new roundabout has been dogged by reports of crashes and near-misses but it will soon become "much more obvious there is a roundabout present", according to the Welsh Government. The Croesbychan roundabout, which connects side roads from Hirwaun and Llwydcoed onto the A465, has temporarily replaced a staggered T-junction since May while the Court Lodge underbridge is built. Recent weeks have seen a series of reported crashes including a three-vehicle pileup on New Year's Eve which left an eight-year-old boy traumatised and with minor head injuries.
The Welsh Government scheme has prompted a wave of social media complaints that people can "drive straight through it without even noticing a roundabout" at the "dangerous" spot. Councillors Karen Morgan and Adam Owain Rogers – who represent Hirwaun, Penderyn, and Rhigos – said in a Facebook post on Thursday: "We attended a meeting this morning with the contractors and again shared the many concerns we have received about incidents and near-misses. Future Valleys stated that signage is adequate and they have recently installed extra lighting. They also explained the constraints to making any other changes to the roundabout (space being the main factor).
"If work progresses as planned there will be changes to the layout of the roundabout in the next six to eight weeks which hopefully will reduce the risk of drivers who treat it as a straight-through road. Future Valleys said they were unaware of many of the incidents/near-misses we described."
