SENEDD members praised the friends of a man who died at the notorious Nash Fingerpost during a debate on Wednesday, November 22.

On Saturday, May 13, Ashley Rogers lost his life at the A477 “Fingerpost” junction while travelling towards Pembroke.

The 29-year-old from Kilgetty died at the scene, leaving behind a devastated fiancé, son and family.
His death marked the third fatality on that stretch of road within the last 12 years.

There have also been innumerable near misses on what is known locally as a “blackspot” for road traffic accidents.

One of Mr Rogers’s friends, Elliot Morrison, organised a petition to the Senedd seeking action to tackle safety. It collected over 10,300 signatures. Over 80 per cent of those signatures came from Pembrokeshire’s two Welsh parliamentary constituencies.

As a result, the Welsh Government has now agreed to carry out much-needed and long-delayed improvements to the dangerous junction.

Speaking in the Senedd, local MS Sam Kurtz said: “Sadly, this was not the first fatality at this junction. In memory of Ashley and to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again at this junction, his friend Elliott Morrison launched the petition stating, ‘Enough is enough’.

“My predecessor, Angela Burns, raised the issue of Nash Fingerpost on many occasions in this Chamber and was a strong advocate for improvements to be made. Simon Hart MP, too, has campaigned for changes to this junction for over a decade.

“Thanks must also be given to the local county councillor, Tessa Hodgson, for her support for much-needed improvements; to Yvette Weblin-Grimsley, who tirelessly campaigned, helping the petition reach 10,000 signatures; and to the wider countless other county, town and community councillors and the wider constituents, who lobbied, campaigned and petitioned on the matter and who have written to me to share their concerns.”

Sam Kurtz also praised Senedd Petitions Committee Chair Jack Sargeant, who visited the Nash Fingerpost to learn about its layout and safety issues.

Mr Sargeant told the Senedd: “Some members of the local community are afraid to use the junction in its current state because of the dangers.

On the CCTV the Welsh Government put into place, you could see large vehicles blocking roads. You could see u-turns taking place.”Mr Sargeant said that when he visited the junction with Sam Kurtz in October, he saw similarly dangerous incidents caused by the road’s layout and driver behaviour.

Plaid Regional MS Cefin Campbell reflected on alarming road traffic incident numbers across West Wales.

He said: “Last year alone, across Pembrokeshire, Dyfed-Powys Police recorded 231 accidents, with 99 people either killed or seriously injured.

“Only about half an hour away from Nash, on the A40 between Carmarthen and St Clears, 359 accidents occurred between 2010 and 2019, again resulting in deaths and life-changing injuries.”

Preseli MS Paul Davies said: “Some of you will have also seen the Motorcycle Action Group’s video, which shows just how dangerous the junction is.

“The video shows vehicles pulling out of the junction and waiting across the actual carriageway, which then forces the oncoming traffic to slow down or stop, and it also showed long queues of traffic waiting on the A4075 approach and cars in the central waiting area. Therefore, a permanent solution must be found to make the junction as safe as possible.”

Welsh Government Minister Julie James responded to the debate.

She said: “At this junction, we’ve already laid new road markings, which highlight ‘Araf’ or ‘Slow’. We’ve erected road safety signs and begun improvements to junction signage.

“We have informed local stakeholders that we’re implementing a temporary new 40 mph speed limit and a no u-turn order at this junction ahead of the permanent order process.

“Regarding the timescale for installing the traffic signals, we intend to start this financial year.

“It requires the laying of cabling induction before the main civil works. That depends on some third-party engagement with National Grid and land ownership issues, but we intend to get them in this financial year.”

On calls for a roundabout, the subject of another petition launched this month, the Minister said: “We will, of course, consider a roundabout. That will be subject to the outcome and review of the measures that have already been put in place.

“A roundabout would take a considerable amount of time to put in place – at least three years – even if the land was all within our highway boundary.”