Transport news

Shane Hamilton’s family said he ‘brought so much joy’ to those he knew

A family have been left heartbroken after a “deeply loved” grandfather died in a motorbike crash.

Shane Hamilton, 51, died following a collision on the A40 between Bwlch and Brecon earlier this month.

In a tribute released through police Mr Hamilton’s family described him as a “deeply loved husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, and best friend who brought so much joy”.

They said one of his passions was riding his motorbike with his son Luke, adding that memories of those rides will be “treasured forever”.

Emergency services were called to a crash involving a white Ford C-Max and a KTM 1290 Duke motorcycle on the A40 at around 2.30pm on Saturday, September 5.

Mr Hamilton was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigations into the crash are ongoing and police previously appealed for witnesses to come forward.

A full tribute from Mr Hamilton’s family reads: “We as a family are completely heartbroken by the tragic loss of Shane.

“He was a deeply loved husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, and best friend who brought so much joy to our family and everyone that knew him.

“One of his passions in life was riding his motorbike with his son Luke. The memories they made together on those rides will be treasured forever.

“Shane leaves behind a void that can never be filled and he will be missed beyond words by all his family and friends.

“Goodnight, God bless.”

Officers from Dyfed-Powys Police have previously said they would like to speak to any witnesses to the crash or to any motorists who were in the area at the time who have a dashcam in their vehicles.

The force can be contacted by calling 101 or online. Quote reference: DP-20260905-207.

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The works will extend into the Christmas period with the gas pipe upgrades in Llandaff not due to be completed until December 18

A busy Cardiff road is set to experience months of disruption due to “essential work”.

Wales & West Utilities began work to upgrade the gas pipes in the Station Road area of Llandaff North on Monday, September 14. This follows the completion of similar work in Whitchurch and has been planned with Cardiff council.

Traffic management is set to be in place during the project. This includes both traffic lights in Station Road as well as phased closures in the side streets off the road as works progress.

It is expected the works will finish on December 18. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here

A statement by councillors Jen Burke and Dilwar Ali, who both represent the area on the council, said: “The council has confirmed that discussions with Wales & West Utilities are continuing to make sure the works are coordinated as effectively as possible.

“The important reason for carrying out the gas mains replacement at this point is the works are being undertaken ahead of Cardiff Council’s future resurfacing programme for Station Road.

“Coordinating the utility works first should avoid the newly-resurfaced road subsequently needing to be dug up for the gas main replacement.”

The councillors also said they would be “continuing to seek assurances” around parking and access to the businesses on the street so that disruption is kept “to an absolute minimum”.

Between September 14 and September 27 three-way traffic lights will be in place at the Church Road/Heol Don junction.

Four-way traffic lights are planned at the Maplewood Avenue junction from September 21 to October 4.

Between October 5 and October 11 two-way lights will be used near Hilton Place.

Two-way traffic lights will be near Hazelhurst Road junction between October 12 and October 18.

Ty Mawr junction will be closed between October 19 and October 23 and Hawthorn Road junction will be closed between October 24 and November 1.

Two-way traffic lights will be in Station Road between November 2 and November 15.

From November 16 to November 29 Evansfield Road junction will be closed and from November 30 to December 18 The Parade junction will also be closed.

Andrew Coleman, the manager of the works, said: “We understand our work can cause disruption but it is essential to maintain a resilient gas network that households and business can rely on every day.

“While much of the gas network is out of sight it plays a vital role in daily life, from heating homes to cooking meals, and we know how important it is that gas is there when people need it.”

Traffic was held on the M4 for around an hour on Monday afternoon due to a police incident.

It affected traffic in both directions from junction 37 A4229 (Pyle / Porthcawl) to junction 36 A4061 (Bridgend / Sarn Service area).

The A48 at Stormy Down, just off the section of the M4 affected, was also blocked, and was closed from Heol-Y-Splot to the Pyle roundabout.

A spokesman for South Wales Police said around 3.45pm: “Officers were in attendance on the M4 between Pyle and Bridgend at 2.30pm today due to a concern for welfare, the M4 was closed for one hour and is now being re-opened.”

Live updates:

The incident at Twyford has led to all lines between Reading and London Paddington being blocked. This is causing disruption on Great Western Railway services between Carmarthen, Swansea and Cardiff Central.

Here is the full list of routes affected, according to National Rail:

Great Western Railway between Penzance / Carmarthen / Swansea / Paignton / Plymouth / Cardiff Central / Exeter St Davids / Hereford / Weston-Super-Mare / Great Malvern / Taunton / Bristol Temple Meads / Frome / Cheltenham Spa / Weston-Super-Mare / Didcot Parkway / Oxford and London Paddington, between Maidenhead and Bourne End / Marlow and also between Twyford and Henley-on-Thames

Elizabeth line tube services are also disrupted.

One arrest was made following the crash

Three people were taken to hospital following a multi-vehicle crash on a busy mountain road, police have said. Emergency services were called to the collision on the Rhigos mountain road in Rhondda Cynon Taf on Sunday afternoon.

The road was shut in both directions before the Zip World Tower towards Treherbert, according to South Wales Police.

A police spokesman has since confirmed three people were taken to hospital following the crash, which involved three cars.

Two of those hospitalised have since been discharged, while the other injured person remains in hospital.

A man was initially arrested on suspicion of drink driving in connection with the crash but has since been released without charge. Get the latest Rhondda news first by signing up to our newsletter here

A police statement reads: “South Wales Police was called at 3.30 pm on Sunday, September 13 to a road traffic collision involving three cars on the A4061 Rhigos Mountain Road in Aberdare.

“Three people were taken to hospital with their injuries, two have since been discharged with one remaining in hospital.

“A 46-year-old man from Rhondda Cynon Taf was arrested on suspicion of drink driving but was later released without charge.”

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Services have been cancelled across the region on Sunday morning as a result of the ongoing incident.

Services from Cardiff Central to Pontypridd, Aberdare, Caerphilly, Coryton and Rhymney have all been cancelled this morning.

On the line to Rhymney the 9am service from Rhymney to Cardiff Central has been cancelled. That includes stops at Bargoed, Caerphilly and Queen Street.

The service due to depart Coryton for Cardiff Central at 9.14am has been cancelled. As have services from Pontypridd to Cardiff Bay and Cardiff Central at 8.50am and 9.20am.

All services from Cardiff Bay have been cancelled so far this morning up to the 9.41am service to Queen Street.

It will last until late February next year

Months of disruption are expected on a busy Cardiff route due to flood prevention works. Significant flood prevention works are due to begin in Lamby Way in Rumney on September 20.

This is expected to be the start of months of potential delays and disruption for users of the road.

From late on September 20, temporary traffic signals will be placed between the Southern Way and Lamby Way roundabouts. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here

Traffic is expected to move in both directions but the temporary traffic lights are expected to remain in place until late February next year.

A lane closure will be installed at Lamby Way roundabout on September 20, followed by major piling works towards Lamby Way bridge between October 5 and December 11.

Night closures to remove piling equipment and pile cap installation will begin on December 14 and last until December 23.

A Christmas shutdown with minimal traffic management will take place between Christmas Eve and January 3.

Handrail installation and the removal of the works equipment will take place between February 8 and February 26.

A dedicated traffic management contractor will be on site to monitor traffic and adjust signals where necessary with the aim of reducing congestion.

A post by the Rumney Labour News Facebook Group, which shares news for the Rumney area of Cardiff on behalf of the Welsh Labour Party, reads: “We know these works will mean months of traffic management and potential delays for residents and motorists using Lamby Way but these works are necessary to deliver the flood prevention scheme safely while keeping the route open and maintaining access.

They also said the works are important to help improve flood protection in the area.

Over several decades, an extension of the A55 dual carriageway across North Wales was worked upon to transform travel in the region. However, 25 years on from its completion, the road continues to be a persistent source of frustration for the many who use it.

The final Anglesey section was completed in 2001, creating an almost unbroken dual carriageway stretching from the English border to Holyhead port. Yet, perhaps owing to its piecemeal construction, the road has been described as something of a Frankenstein’s monster – in some respects resembling a high-speed motorway, but lacking a number of vital features.

It has also been branded “not fit for purpose” and, while no Welsh Government was involved in its construction, the majority of the A55 has fallen under their jurisdiction since 1999.

Minor improvements have been made over the past two decades, but the major upgrades have failed to emerge; pushed even further into the long grass by the previous Labour-led Welsh Government, whose priorities lay in reducing traffic levels, reports North Wales Live.

Below is a wishlist of A55 improvements that could dramatically enhance the driving experience along the route.

Deeside Corridor

This is largely an A494/A55 issue and rivals the Britannia Bridge as the most significant bottleneck between the border and Holyhead.

Even under normal conditions, this stretch becomes congested during peak periods, and it takes very little for a minor incident to escalate into a significant tailback. Plans to address this issue have been proposed.

Properties were even purchased and demolished on Aston Hill for a road-widening scheme that was subsequently abandoned.

The latest ‘solution’ to progress was a new 13km two-lane dual carriageway connecting the A55-A5119 Northop junction (junction 33) with the A494 and A550 north of Deeside Parkway junction, via Kelsterton interchange and the Flintshire Bridge. Approximately £4m was invested in developing the £300m ‘red route’ – or Flintshire Corridor – before it fell victim to the government’s roads review and was axed in 2023.

The issue remains unresolved and, if anything, is likely to deteriorate in coming years as road traffic is still forecast to rise despite initiatives to encourage greater use of public transport.

This could mean those ‘red route’ proposals – fiercely opposed by some – are revisited in future years or an alternative plan brought forward.

It’s unlikely to be an immediate priority for the new Plaid-led Welsh Government, but Welsh Labour’s new leader Ken Skates has consistently been a strong advocate and may place it back on the agenda for the next Senedd election.

Roundabouts

In comparison to some of the challenges along the A55, the roundabouts at Penmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan are more minor nuisances than significant problems.

They don’t truly belong on a high-speed European route but also don’t create the daily frustrations of the Britannia Bridge crossing further along. It appears this ought to be a straightforward solution, but replacing them with safe and appropriate slip road junctions is more expensive and disruptive than many might expect.

This was another scheme that was advanced and subsequently abandoned – and only after Welsh Government had already invested £9m in the project.

The total expenditure was projected to be approximately £75m, though that figure will have escalated since then. Unlikely to see any progress on this one during the current Senedd term.

Third lane/hard shoulder

Traffic levels since the A55 was “completed” at the beginning of the 2000s have risen considerably. Welsh Government statistics reveal that between 2001 and 2025, Wales traffic volumes grew from roughly 25bn km per year to 30.9 billion km – an increase of 24%.

Yet the capacity of the route has stayed the same. Throughout the years there have been consistent demands for a third lane to establish a motorway standard route – or at minimum an expansion of the existing hard shoulders, with only a handful of sections of the expressway currently having them.

Serious incidents will invariably result in carriageways being closed – whether there are two or three lanes or hard shoulders – but at present any breakdown or very minor accident typically results in the route being reduced to one lane and the unavoidable delays this creates.

There is also a safety concern here with the vehicle/s being in a precarious position during the period before any emergency assistance arrives. Building a motorway-standard route across the region would represent an enormous project – both financially and in terms of its effect on the communities through which the road runs.

It’s not a feasible proposition, though there may be sections of the expressway where additional lanes could be incorporated.

A similar situation exists regarding a hard shoulder – there are stretches of the road where this could be added. There’s little doubt this would help reduce the frequency of disruptions along the expressway – issues that during busy periods can result in lengthy delays.

However, installing hard shoulders on further parts of the A55 is perhaps not the significant political achievement during an era of tight budgets. A more economical alternative might be creating additional emergency refuge areas for vehicles encountering difficulties.

Incremental improvements could be achieved in the coming years, but for the present, attention will probably remain on the more substantial challenges facing the A55.

New Menai crossing

The ‘new’ bridge spanning the Menai Strait dates back to 1850 – predating motor vehicles. The Robert Stephenson Britannia crossing was constructed for rail and only became a road crossing in 1980 after a deck was installed as part of an extensive two-tier reconstruction scheme following a devastating fire in 1970.

An extra crossing has been on the political agenda for numerous years. Back in 2017, the Welsh Government indicated a new bridge could be operational by 2021.

A number of options were considered before the so-called ‘purple route’ across the Menai Strait was announced in 2018 by then First Minister Carwyn Jones. The proposal would have seen a new bridge constructed to the east of the existing Britannia.

The timeline subsequently shifted, with construction scheduled to begin in 2021 at an estimated cost of £135m.

However, deadlines were missed and then the pandemic struck. The post-pandemic Welsh Government then changed course entirely – placing a hold on all major road schemes pending a review – putting the fight against climate change at the forefront of its decision-making.

The resulting report concluded that the A55 Third Menai Crossing “should not proceed”.

It stated: “The case for change is not well-aligned with Welsh Government’s aim to reduce car mileage. The scheme would lead to increased traffic and carbon dioxide emissions, and a mode shift from public transport to car travel, inconsistent with the target to increase sustainable transport mode share.”

This proved a crushing setback for those who championed a new crossing — including the thousands of motorists who traverse the Menai Strait daily, frequently on multiple occasions.

The situation has been further complicated in recent years as the Menai Suspension Bridge has been beset by ongoing repair and maintenance problems. It was shut abruptly in October 2022 when safety concerns were first identified, remaining closed until February 2023.

But this was merely the beginning of the difficulties. The repair and maintenance schedule has been prolonged as fresh problems emerged, with work not expected to finish until 2027.

This has resulted in closures, weight restrictions and traffic lights – which have consequently placed extra strain on the Britannia Bridge.

Beyond the troublesome delays and disruption, there exists a more severe worry. That is Anglesey’s dependence on two crossings that are either side of 200 years old.

A new nuclear facility at the Wylfa location will only intensify the burden on the current routes.

A third crossing was put in the crawler lane under the previous Welsh Government, but the new administration appears eager to prioritise this within their transport agenda.

This is aided by the fact that Ynys Mon and Gwynedd are core areas for Plaid Cymru – with the island being home to First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth and the party holding three of the six seats in the Bangor Conwy Môn constituency.

They have already indicated that a third crossing is back under consideration, with an update expected this autumn. The transport minister has declared that this and the M4 are his two principal highway priorities.

Financing the project – with costs likely to have soared since last estimated – will be the challenge.

It’s regrettable that the chance to advance this when EU funding was available was not seized – given this is a crucial European route. The UK Government will also recognise the broader national significance of this connection to Ireland.

The nuclear project and the necessity to upgrade power links are additional factors that could encourage the UK Government to collaborate with the Welsh Government on this matter.

Such a proposal would almost certainly command cross-party support – with the possible exception of the Greens – suggesting the political will is likely in place.

Whether the money will follow is the multi-million dollar question.

Police in Switzerland are yet to confirm how many people died in the accident in the Engadine valley

Several people have died after a coach carrying tourists to Austria flipped over on a mountainous road in Switzerland, police have confirmed.

Emergency services in the scenic Engadine valley of the Alps raced to the scene of an accident at 8.10pm.

The incident involved a Dutch-owned coach with 48 passengers, who are understood to have been from the Netherlands.

Rescue teams and paramedics were seen by the coach as it lay on it side on an embankment beside the carriageway. As part of the response, helicopters have also landed nearby, reports the Mirror.

A local police statement read: “Several people died in the accident involving the tour bus in Susch. Several people were also injured. Further information will follow.”

It comes after an earlier message, which read: “Between Susch and Zernez, a tour bus has had an accident. Various rescue organizations are on site.”

The incident took place in the eastern Swiss canton of Graubünden, deep in the Engadine valley, on a stretch of road linking the villages of Susch and Zernez.

The coach reportedly belongs to Oad, a Dutch tour company that runs holiday trips across Europe.

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A spokesperson for the General Dutch Association of Travel Companies (ANVR) confirmed it was carrying 48 passengers from the Netherlands.

“These are Dutch customers of OAD. We cannot yet say exactly how many people have been killed or injured” the spokesperson said to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.

A police spokesperson said the road between Zernez and Susch has remained closed.

Arjan Koster, director of the Oad bus company, told the Dutch news portal AD the trip had begun on Monday and the coach was en route to Austria for a day visit to Switzerland.

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