Where the sidewalk ends

Candidates and LibDem councillors accompany Mike German, the Welsh party leader, as he discusses the problems of Tonmawr Road with prospective constituents.

The road connects over two hundred households - and growing - with the rest of the ward of Pelenna and thence with the town centre. There is no footway on either side for almost a mile, and no alternative footpath. The street lighting is no more than adequate.

At a time when we should be encouraging people to leave their cars at home and take more healthily to their feet, roads without footways or cycle-tracks are a great disincentive, particularly at night.

We understand that Labour has consistently before council elections promised to have this road improved, only to forget about it once in office. The official story from the engineer's department is that, because the road is unclassified, there is no legal requirement to provide footways.