Steps to stop motorists overtaking buses at a newly-installed stop on a busy road in and out of Tenby may not be possible, local councillors were told this week.

Clr. Mrs. Tish Rossiter recently reiterated her concerns over the positioning of the bus stop along the Narberth Road which was introduced as part of a Pembrokeshire County Council scheme, to revise the road’s layout to improve the junction and pedestrian safety, with the introduction of a mini-roundabout also forming part of the project.

She complained that the bus stop caused more ‘hold ups’ and traffic congestion, and that motorists who became frustrated and elected to overtake buses that had pulled in, were likely to cause a head-on collision.

Clr. Mrs. Rossiter asked if the county council could be approached to see if a continuous white line could be marked onto the road from the roundabout up to Bell’s Corner, and emphasised the need for the safety of the road to be looked at in general, especially if planning went through for a proposed housing development on land west of Narberth Road, that would see highways alterations to form new access incorporated.

At Tuesday night’s meeting of the town council, the town clerk informed members that the county council’s head of highways and construction, Darren Thomas, had responded to the matter.

“Having looked at the regulations regarding the use of double white lines, I can confirm that their use in this location would not be considered appropriate,” he explained.

“Their use is only permitted where there is an identified need as a result of a lack of forward visibility. Also they are not usually used within urban areas covered by a 30 mph limit.

Mr. Thomas said that there were a number of issues that would be created as a result of installing double white lines at this location, which would include the prohibition of stopping and right turning where they have been installed.

“This would result in residents fronting the road losing any ability to stop on the highway or turn right into or out of their properties,” he continued.

“Should the proposed housing scheme go ahead and the new right turn lane with tapers be installed, then this would go some way to preventing overtaking at this location,” added Mr. Thomas.

Responding, Clr. Mrs. Rossiter commented: “Well what can you say, nothing!’”