Stop Press

[SDQ]

A bit of heavy rain for a few hours, and the A55, A5 and all train services shut down - pathetic!

So you'd rather we open everything and end up with stranded or flooded cars & trains sitting in farmer's fields because the line may be washed away???

[Jack]

A bit of heavy rain for a few hours, and the A55, A5 and all train services shut down - pathetic!

So you'd rather we open everything and end up with stranded or flooded cars & trains sitting in farmer's fields because the line may be washed away???

No SDQ, but it would be preferable that the roads and drains are able to cope with the rain in the firstplace.  Clearly there is a significant issue when the main trunk road across North Wales is closed for the 2nd time in 5 months due to flooding in virtually the same place i.e the stretch between Aber and Bangor; not to mention the number of accidents that close that same stretch of dual carriageway per annum.

[DaveR]

A bit of heavy rain for a few hours, and the A55, A5 and all train services shut down - pathetic!

So you'd rather we open everything and end up with stranded or flooded cars & trains sitting in farmer's fields because the line may be washed away???

No SDQ, but it would be preferable that the roads and drains are able to cope with the rain in the firstplace.  Clearly there is a significant issue when the main trunk road across North Wales is closed for the 2nd time in 5 months due to flooding in virtually the same place i.e the stretch between Aber and Bangor; not to mention the number of accidents that close that same stretch of dual carriageway per annum.

Exactly the point I was trying to make. The idea that the only main route through North Wales can be closed after just a couple of hours rain is not acceptable - particularly when this is the second or third time this year alone that it has happened. Its not rocket science...if the existing drains can't cope, install more and bigger drains! There are hundreds of people stranded on both sides of the A55 flood - it's like a third world country!!

[DaveR]

A friend of mine is reporting that there is currently 10 feet of floodwater inside the Conwy Tunnel.

[SDQ]

A bit of heavy rain for a few hours, and the A55, A5 and all train services shut down - pathetic!

So you'd rather we open everything and end up with stranded or flooded cars & trains sitting in farmer's fields because the line may be washed away???

No SDQ, but it would be preferable that the roads and drains are able to cope with the rain in the firstplace.  Clearly there is a significant issue when the main trunk road across North Wales is closed for the 2nd time in 5 months due to flooding in virtually the same place i.e the stretch between Aber and Bangor; not to mention the number of accidents that close that same stretch of dual carriageway per annum.

Exactly the point I was trying to make. The idea that the only main route through North Wales can be closed after just a couple of hours rain is not acceptable - particularly when this is the second or third time this year alone that it has happened. Its not rocket science...if the existing drains can't cope, install more and bigger drains! There are hundreds of people stranded on both sides of the A55 flood - it's like a third world country!!

That couple of hours of rain brought down a hell of a lot of water in a short time and the area in question has a lot of land for it to build up & gush off. Apart from the fact the problem couldn't be fixed overnight, who is going to pay for all this work. The ConDem Government have slashed finance to the local authorities to such a degree they've barely got enough to operate normally never mind spending hundreds of thousands of pounds putting storm drains in at Aber. There is obviously a lot of foliage mixed in with this water which will be blocking areas & causing the water to divert to places where there aren't adequate drains to cope so sadly it's time for a bit of that stiff upper lip they go on about so often and just wait for the water levels to drop.

[DaveR]

Video of flooding at Rhostryfan, outside Caernarfon:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-20451472

[DaveR]

A bit of heavy rain for a few hours, and the A55, A5 and all train services shut down - pathetic!

So you'd rather we open everything and end up with stranded or flooded cars & trains sitting in farmer's fields because the line may be washed away???

No SDQ, but it would be preferable that the roads and drains are able to cope with the rain in the firstplace.  Clearly there is a significant issue when the main trunk road across North Wales is closed for the 2nd time in 5 months due to flooding in virtually the same place i.e the stretch between Aber and Bangor; not to mention the number of accidents that close that same stretch of dual carriageway per annum.

Exactly the point I was trying to make. The idea that the only main route through North Wales can be closed after just a couple of hours rain is not acceptable - particularly when this is the second or third time this year alone that it has happened. Its not rocket science...if the existing drains can't cope, install more and bigger drains! There are hundreds of people stranded on both sides of the A55 flood - it's like a third world country!!

That couple of hours of rain brought down a hell of a lot of water in a short time and the area in question has a lot of land for it to build up & gush off. Apart from the fact the problem couldn't be fixed overnight, who is going to pay for all this work. The ConDem Government have slashed finance to the local authorities to such a degree they've barely got enough to operate normally never mind spending hundreds of thousands of pounds putting storm drains in at Aber. There is obviously a lot of foliage mixed in with this water which will be blocking areas & causing the water to divert to places where there aren't adequate drains to cope so sadly it's time for a bit of that stiff upper lip they go on about so often and just wait for the water levels to drop.

The A55 is Trunk Road Agency responsibility, not local Councils. Amazing, given they're so short of money, they seem to have plenty of brand new expensive 4x4s to drive round in?

There have been people stuck in traffic for 5 hours on the A55! No, it's just not acceptable - if these problems were actually tackled instead of just making excuses, who knows what we could achieve?! 

[Jack]

If the A55 had been designed and built properly in the first place then maybe this could have been avoided.  It has nothing to do with the current government or WAG this is a systemic failure from 30 years ago.  Proper drainage, a hard shoulder, proper length feeder lanes (that one as you merge from Tal-y-Bont eastbound is horrendous), the roundabouts, the ridiculous Pen-y-Clip 30mph zone, 50mph zone in Colwyn Bay the list goes on and on plus the constant closure of lanes for roadworks or worse still cutting the grass is why DaveR is correct in saying it is 3rd world and a disgrace. 

[Yorkie]

Despite the shortcomings of the A55 it has certainly helped to relieve North Wales traffic over those intervening years.

Technology and knowledge has also advanced in that time and what was OK then is no longer what is accepted.   Modifications can be made and, no doubt, will be made.

Just as a matter of comparison the original M1 was totally acceptable t the time.    Since then it has been expanded width wise on a number of occasions, not because it was wrong in the first place but because of the increase in traffic.  It is regularly blocked and stopped on the London approaches.

[DaveR]

Many of the A55's problems are of fairly recent origin, though, Yorkie.

[DaveR]

Video of flooding at Llanberis today:
Llanberis flood

[DaveR]

A55 UPDATE: The A55 remains closed between Junction 11 at Bangor and Junction 12 Tal y Bont with Emergency Services and the local authority in the process of clearing excess water from the A55 at this location and reopen the road as soon as possible.

A55 UPDATE: Police can confirm that three “Rest Centres” have been opened to offer shelter and refreshments to those who are currently stranded and unable to complete their journey and others effected by the flooding.
They are: Llandudno Junction Leisure Centre, (Opposite Cineworld complex) LL31 9XY
Caernarfon Leisure Centre, Ffordd Bethel, LL55 1DU
Ysgol Friars (School) Bangor, Lon y Bryn, LL57 2LN

[Yorkie]

Many of the A55's problems are of fairly recent origin, though, Yorkie.

Naturally so Dave!   We all suffer as we get older and so does any manufactured or constructed item!  The A55 is no different.

As a matter of interest the speed limit through Colwyn Bay is due to the short length of the slip roads and restricted visibility.   Due to the good visibility at the Aber slip road the speed limit has been left at the National limit.

[DaveR]

Many of the A55's problems are of fairly recent origin, though, Yorkie.

Naturally so Dave!   We all suffer as we get older and so does any manufactured or constructed item!  The A55 is no different.

As a matter of interest the speed limit through Colwyn Bay is due to the short length of the slip roads and restricted visibility.   Due to the good visibility at the Aber slip road the speed limit has been left at the National limit.

You misunderstand me, Yorkie. I'm talking about things like the ridiculous roundabouts at Penmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan that were only built relatively recently.

[Jack]

Many of the A55's problems are of fairly recent origin, though, Yorkie.

Naturally so Dave!   We all suffer as we get older and so does any manufactured or constructed item!  The A55 is no different.

As a matter of interest the speed limit through Colwyn Bay is due to the short length of the slip roads and restricted visibility.   Due to the good visibility at the Aber slip road the speed limit has been left at the National limit.

So the speed limit thru Colwyn Bay, the short slip roads, the lack of hard shoulder, the Summer grass cutting have all been there since the road's inception and nothing to do with old age just poor design.