RENEWED calls have been made to have the A40 through Abergavenny detrunked and for it to be rerouted over Llanfoist Bridge from the Heads of the Valleys Road .

While the detrunking issue has often been debated locally over recent years, it was the problems faced this month by the town's carnival committee in getting the roads closed for the annual procession in July that has brought the problem back into the public spotlight.

At last week's meeting of Abergavenny Town Council members heard from former truck driver Tony Beavan who said, "Since the dual carriageway has been upgraded there is a much easier route to get to the A40 Brecon Road from the Hardwick roundabout instead of going through the town centre.

"It's time to get this town where it belongs – at the heart of the community.

"In the short term, advisory signs could be put up advising lorry drivers of a more convenient route to Brecon and mid Wales.

"I believe it's time to re-approach the Welsh Government to say we want our town back.

"I wouldn't personally want to be negotiating that sharp bend in the middle of town and I don't think today's drivers relish the prospect either."

Councillor Nick Tatam said,"This council should be doing the shouting." Councillor Sam Dodd agreed and added, "We should be finding ways in which we can discourage lorry drivers from entering the town if they are travelling to or from Brecon."

Councillor John Prosser pointed out that this suggestion has been debated for more than a decade and that it is up to the Welsh Government to assess and finance the project.

In 2002 when David Davies was an Assembly Member he posed the question on what progress had been made on detrunking the A40 through Abergavenny town centre? He was told that a preliminary appraisal of the alternative route, A4143, had been made and that a formal consultation would take place.

And in 2003 the Assembly Government considered detrunking the A40 by conducting a survey suggesting that this part of the route should be reduced to the status of county road, which would reduce both congestion and the conflicts between the various road users.

In September 2004 the scheme to detrunk the current A40 and for the A4143 to be reclassified as the new A40 was published, but it appears that it was not implemented as the bridge was not wide enough for a carriageway and a footpath and that a new footbridge would have to be constructed.

Councillor Maureen Powell said that this was one of her first projects on being elected as a councillor.

"Since then we have been trying to get a footbridge over the River Usk but we came up against problems with Cadw, the Welsh heritage body and the Environment Agency."

David Davies MP, after hearing about the detrunking discussions, said this week,"I would fully support detrunking the A40 through Abergavenny. Edwina Hart is the Welsh Government's new transport Minister so I will be writing today to ask if she would look into the situation."

Meanwhile Assembly Member, Nick Ramsay AM said that he would also be highlighting the situation when minister Edwina Hart attends a site meeting on the Monmouth Road in Abergavenny, part of the A40, on July 1 to consider the need for a pedestrian crossing on this busy stretch of road.

Mr Ramsay said, "I know that County Councillor Maureen Powell has been campaigning for a pedestrian crossing for many years. Residents from Ysbytty Fields walking into town are forced to cross the road near the entrance to Plas Derwen due to the absence of a footpath on their side of the road.

"This site meeting with the Minister will hopefully help persuade her that action is needed here before there is a serious accident involving a pedestrian and I'd also like to suggest that detrunking of this road would also help alleviate the problem."

Councillor Powell added, "The Minister needs to see the situation herself to get the true picture we face.

"Do we have to wait until someone gets killed or seriously injured before something is done?"