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[Yorkie]

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.

Have it your way Jack - I'm alright!

Sorry Dave!  My 'umble apologies!

All opinions are valid in my book.

[Ian]

.if the existing drains can't cope, install more and bigger drains!

That very issue affects the Marine Drive around the Orme; there's still no provision for excess water to be channelled through the wall so in the event of another massive storm like the 1993 event Llandudno could be flooded again.

Amazing, given they're so short of money, they seem to have plenty of brand new expensive 4x4s to drive round in?

Makes you wonder if one of their bean counters did the sums and found it was cheaper to provide their people with 4 x 4s to navigate the inevitable floods instead of improving the drainage...   

[Hugo]

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.

It was done as cheaply as possible, hence the poor design all the way along the coast.  It wasn't that long ago that they actually removed the roundabout in Llanfairfechan and then a few weeks later rebuilt it!       :rage:

[Welshmunchkin]

My daughter, who works in mental health, had taken one of her clients from Llandudno to Bangor on the bus in the morning. After the rain they were stranded in Bangor and had to wait like everyone else. Eventually at about 9pm they managed to get a taxi. From Bangor to Llandudno she was charged £110 !!! Driver said it was because of the bad weather. It's a long time since I traveled by taxi but this sounded excessive to me. I think some people always find a silver lining!

[SDQ]

My daughter, who works in mental health, had taken one of her clients from Llandudno to Bangor on the bus in the morning. After the rain they were stranded in Bangor and had to wait like everyone else. Eventually at about 9pm they managed to get a taxi. From Bangor to Llandudno she was charged £110 !!! Driver said it was because of the bad weather. It's a long time since I traveled by taxi but this sounded excessive to me. I think some people always find a silver lining!

I thought taxis worked to a meter to charge fares?

[Ian48]

Hugo- I am not sure that it was done as cheaply as possible. A road involving the cuttings at Rhuallt Hill, the CPOs for 300 hundred houses, relaying of miles of railway, and all work in Colwyn Bay, plus the Conwy Tunnel and the tunneling and abutments (through granite) at Penmaenbach and Penmaenmar was not cheap. In fact, I seem to recall it being, at the time, the most expensive road per kilometre ever built in the UK. Obviously it's inadequate now and standards and design have changed, but to imply it was done 'on the cheap' is incorrect in my opinion.

[Welshmunchkin]

I thought taxis worked to a meter to charge fares?
[/quote]

So did I !!!

[Yorkie]

That very issue affects the Marine Drive around the Orme; there's still no provision for excess water to be channelled through the wall so in the event of another massive storm like the 1993 event Llandudno could be flooded again.

Went round the Orme today and no signs of any debris, land or stone slippage, and all looks well.  After 1993 some drainage work was done and one large drain was put a few yards before the junction with the Zig-zag road where the excess water goes via a drain under the road.   This was a particularly bad place in '93.   

[mull]

For a fraction of the cost othe A55 the railway lines from Crewe and Warrington to Holyhead coul have been electrified.
This should have been done as a European trunk route.
Here we are 30 years later and it is still being talked about.

[Yorkie]

And we would have had traffic chaos on the old road.   I remember the long traffic queues and slow speed due to congestion every time  we came up to my Wife's parents.  The A55 was a blessing we all welcomed.    ZXZ

[Michael]

  Getting back to Welshmunchkins enormous taxi bill and the subsequent mentions about a meter charge. The journey from Bangor to Llandudno was around 9 p.m. but at that time the A55 was closed.
   So, I presume, they travelled up the A5 to Betws y Coed and maybe, down the Conwy valley. Dont forget that the Black Cat area would have been heavily congested, so maybe that had to take to the lanes around Bryn y Maen.
   It would therefore have been a mega long and time consuming journey.  And then the taxi had to get back to Bangor.
   The drivers remark about the large bill being because of the bad weather. Yes, originally it was. Because the bad weather made the long journey inevitable.
   Yes,it appeared from Welsh mucchs post to be highway robbery. But now you have read the full story it probably comes down to around five or six hours work say £20 an hour, normally the taxi owner would take two thirds i.e. about £80 and the driver would get £40.   And all at unsocial hours.  Mike   P.S.  And dont forget that the very adverse weather forecasts hours, even days, beforehand put off our intrepid DaveR on a photo shoot in that area.   Hardly the best time to set out with anyone with any type of disability
   

[DaveR]

I think you're right, Mike. It's a big bill, certainly, but it's a long journey in very hazardous conditions.

I'm so glad I did cancel that photoshoot in Llanfairfechan on Thursday, otherwise I suspect I would have either been stranded there overnight or had to walk back as far as Conwy at least. However, I didnt get off entirely scott free, as the model came to see me in Llandudno instead and ended up stranded with me when the buses stopped running. So I paid for a taxi to take her back to Penmaenmawr (via Sychnant Pass)...wasn't cheap!

[Jack]

That's a bit of tough luck DaveR! Stranded with a model 

[DaveR]

That's a bit of tough luck DaveR! Stranded with a model 

Heck of a thing... 

[Ian]

Reverting to Mull's comments about trains and electrification, there's also the point that we used enjoy direct links with Liverpool and Manchester via rail.  Now, it's impossible for anyone to reach us from either of those major conurbations without at least one change at Chester. I'd have thought it made sense in tourist terms to have direct services from both places, especially now that rail travel has entered a renaissance and is proving so popular.