Assembly Member for Monmouth Nick Ramsay was one of a number of local representatives to attend Thursday’s packed Transition Chepstow public meeting at Chepstow Leisure Centre to discuss the town’s congestion problems.

Those present were treated to a number of presentations covering areas from the existing level of air pollution to possible reconfigurations of the High Beech roundabout to aid traffic flows.

Speaking after the meeting Mr Ramsay said: “I’d like to thank everyone who attended and those who gave presentations - they’d clearly put a lot of work in.

“Transition Chepstow’s proposal to reconfigure the High Beech Roundabout is certainly an interesting one and worthy of further investigation by the Welsh Government.

“We also need to look at improving public transport and increasing frequency and reliability of train services to get more people out of their cars and on to buses and trains. The Welsh Government’s development of the South Wales Metro will be key to this.

“Encouraging more young people to walk to school may also have merits but parents would have to be reassured that safe routes to school were available and free from pollution. We certainly aren’t there yet!

“Ultimately Chepstow’s congestion problems cannot be viewed in isolation from the issue of a bypass. Whilst not being the whole answer, a bypass is necessary to provide vehicles travelling to and from Gloucestershire with a swift, alternative route.

“If, as seems increasingly likely, the Welsh Government abandons its proposals for the £1.4 billion M4 relief road around Newport, then I will be pressing for at least some of the funding that has been earmarked for that project to be made available to develop a bypass for Chepstow as soon as possible.

“The people of Chepstow deserve no less that a comprehensive solution to this longstanding and worsening problem.”

Photo caption: From right Nick Ramsay AM with C Cllr David Dovey, Tim Melville JP of Transition Chepstow and David Davies MP