Senedd Member Samuel Kurtz heard residents’ concerns about anti-social driving in Pembroke Dock in the presence of the town’s Mayor and several councillors.

At a public meeting held at the Town Council offices on Friday, October 21, Samuel Kutz MS (pictured) was joined by 20 people, including Mayor Pam George; Deputy Town Clerk Mandy Hart; Councillors Sarah Lucas, Jonathan George, Simon Briskham and George Manning; County Councillor Tony Willcox; Pembroke Dock residents and members of the press.

The meeting was held to identify residents’ concerns about speeding and ‘boy-racer’ behaviour along Fort Road, as well as noisy, anti-social driving and motorcycling elsewhere in the town. Mr Kurtz said he had had a “quick, provisional chat” with Dyfed-Powys Police and that he would go back to them with concerns expressed in the meeting.

Townspeople agreed that the whole length of the road from the Dolphin Hotel to the Gun Tower car park was affected, as it is very straight and sometimes treated like a race-track, with fast cars speeding bumper to bumper. Those assembled heard how one lady had to stand back because it seemed like a speeding car was coming straight for her, while a resident from Clarence Street said she felt “really in danger” while walking her dog along Fort Road. A near-miss between an ambulance and a fast car had been witnessed. “It’s not just ‘boy-racers’, said a Victoria Road inhabitant. A Catalina Avenue resident said that cars with very noisy exhausts could be heard circulating the area as late as 3.20am.

Fears were expressed for the safety of children. “Do we have to wait until someone is really hurt?”

A number of solutions were discussed, including traffic calming measures, speed limits and cameras. Speed bumps were unsuitable for ambulances, it was stated, and presently there is one chicane, no speed limit.

Before the chicane, a survey showed that 85 per cent of drivers were travelling at 33mph or less, so according to a national measurement standard, Fort Road was deemed not to have a problem with speeding drivers. After the chicane was installed, a survey showed that the average speed had been lowered to 25mph. It was pointed out at the meeting that because of the positioning of the chicane between the entrance and exit from the hospital car park, the statistics appeared to show that only three quarters of the vehicles returning from the car park had driven there in the first place.

One resident said that the location of the chicane allows racers to divert through the hospital car park.

Regarding speed limits, the point was made that if anti-social drivers are not obeying the 30mph limits already in operation elsewhere in the town, they are unlikely to obey a new 20mph limit. On the other hand, radar speed signs that light up and show your speed as you approach them have been shown to be more effective.

The Fort Road car park (a Council car park) is “dark and unmonitored,” said a resident after people had asked why the racers, typically aged between 17 and 30, speed down there and congregate.

“Police presence could simply move the problem,” said Mr Kurtz, adding that perhaps PIR sensor lights could be fitted, or the car park could be improved to turn it into more of a local facility.

Residents agreed that it was hard to get these issues addressed. One of them said that the local PCSOs had reported it to the County Council. Another said that he got in touch with Pembrokeshire County Council, who said to call the police, but then, because he had kept a record of incidents, he felt he was being treated like a nuisance caller. “There is zero accountability,” he said. “Police are refusing to get actively involved.”

The Senedd Member expressed his own frustration that the police tend to be “reactive rather than pro-active.”

The absence of a police presence at the meeting resulted in some bad feeling among residents. However, the Deputy Town Clerk was able to read a statement they had prepared which encouraged people to phone 101 whenever they encounter antisocial driving. They currently have a MAVIS (multi agency vulnerability information system) which monitors the situation, but since January 1 until October 20, only 13 calls to 101 were made on the subject. Four Section 59 warnings have been issued.

Photographic or video evidence, or at least a licence plate number, is needed for the police to be able to tackle the problem. Mr Kurtz clarified that private security cameras can’t be used for monitoring public areas.

At the meeting, residents were encouraged to keep on reporting to the police: It takes time, but it works.

Some residents, however, described how they were subjected to “a mouthful of abuse”, offensive “finger gestures” and eggs thrown at their residences when they attempted to gather evidence. They have also noticed a decline in the police presence which they are entitled to as Council Tax payers.

“I can see that this is a raw situation and there is a lot of frustration,” said Samuel Kurtz. He added that he would get back to Dyfed-Powys Police and Pembrokeshire County Council and suggest a high ranking police officer attends a follow-up meeting. To residents worried about reprisals if they report incidents to the police he said: “Collate your experiences and put them in an email to me; then I communicate with the police.”

Mayor of Pembroke Dock, Cllr Pam George, thanked Mr Kurtz for coming. She assured the residents “The Town Council is 100 per cent behind you. We all live in the town and will help you as much as we can. Keep fighting!”