THE MS for Arfon, Siân Gwenllian, has sought reassurance from the Welsh Government’s transport minister that he was willing to listen to residents’ input on chaos caused by the Menai Bridge’s closure.

Ms Gwenllian’s Arfon constituency is home to the mainland’s side of the 200-year old suspension bridge.

She pointed to the fact that it is “a very busy civic area, including businesses and shops, playing fields, a business park, a hotel, schools and hundreds of homes,” but stressed that the bridge was also a crucial commuter route to and from Ysbyty Gwynedd.

The MS acknowledged that the closure of the bridge was necessary, after the Conservative MP for Ynys Môn, Virginia Crosbie, said she was “shocked and appalled” by the “anti-investment” decision to close the bridge due to serious safety risks.

But Ms Gwenllian called on the transport minister for a contingency plan, urging him to listen to “sensible” suggestions by residents.

She said: “By now, enough time has passed in order to at least agree an alternative traffic plan, a temporary plan, for the area.

“When can we see the alternative traffic plan in terms of traffic flow, and, more importantly, when are we going to see that being implemented in the area?

“Evidently, the situation as it is at present, with people taking two hours to reach Ysbyty Gwynedd from Anglesey, is not sustainable, so we have to bring forward another plan in order to improve traffic flow in the area, and I want to know when that will happen.

“We want to see practical solutions for the benefit of local people while the bridge is being secured, and many constituents are bringing ideas forward that sound very sensible to me — practical ideas about how to improve traffic flow in the area.

“Are you willing to listen to some of those ideas?

“We’ve shared a few this afternoon. Rhun ap Iorwerth and Carolyn Thomas have talked about the idea of creating three lanes on the Britannia Bridge temporarily, with two open for traffic to the mainland in the morning, and two lanes open in the other direction in the evening.

“If that isn’t possible, can we have an explanation as to why, because many people are asking why we can’t do that kind of thing?”

Lee Waters MS, the deputy minister for climate change whose remit includes transport, responded by saying that he “fully recognised” the frustration.

He said: “I guess, in truth, there are limits to what we can do within the confines of the options available to us.

“Certainly, in terms of the member's point about whether we are willing to listen to ideas the public have for improving traffic flow: of course we are.

“And certainly, as I said, I'll make our officials available to the local members who wish to meet with them, and you can discuss and test some of the ideas, the practicality of them, with those engineering experts to see what can and cannot be done.

“But I certainly, as the minister, am very open to looking at any option we possibly can to open this as quickly as possible when it is safe to do so and to try and mitigate the congestion that is inevitably caused by it, both now and in the future.”

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Meanwhile, Paula Renzel, Welsh roads and climate campaigner for Transport Action Network (TAN) Cymru, added: “This closure, while disruptive, highlights the need for measures to be brought in to reduce the amount of traffic using the bridge.

“This is an emergency, just like the climate emergency, and the response needs to be quick and effective.

“Better options for people to walk, cycle, car share and use public transport need to be implemented immediately.

“Novel solutions such as temporary bus priority measures, more bus and rail services could all help alleviate the strain on the road.

“If this is done well, it could provide a model for lasting change that improves things for everyone.

“This would benefit the economies of Gwynedd and Anglesey and positively impact peoples’ quality of life, while also taking the necessary steps to address climate change.

“The North Wales Transport Commission are currently investigating what can be done to solve traffic issues across North Wales more broadly, but their conclusions are not expected to be published for some time.

“With the current situation requiring more urgent interventions, the commission may nevertheless have ideas as to what could be done in the short term.”