This pretty British village is campaigning against tourists for one big reason | UK | News
Residents of a Welsh village are fed up with traffic jams and expensive parking in their area because they live next to a popular beach.
Traeth Llanddwyn Beach is a Blue Flag beach and a clear social media favourite that attracts many tourists throughout the summer.
Villagers have launched a petition for free parking at the site and say they have been left behind while concessions are given to neighbouring villages with less congestion.
Residents of the nearby villages of Brynsiencyn and Llanfairpwll believe poorer villagers are being overlooked in Traeth Llanddwyn due to extortionate parking charges and price increases, and locals claim they are being sidelined in favour of tourists.
The neighbouring village of Newborough is said to be the worst hit by traffic, which is often gridlocked at summer weekends. Site manager Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has started handing out passes to residents to allow them to park for free in Newborough Forest, which overlooks the beach.
The concession is also open to residents of Dwyran, Llangaffo and Malltraeth, three other villages affected by traffic on the beach access roads. With many visitors arriving via the A55 Britannia Bridge and heading to Llanddwyn via the A4080, Llanfairpwll and Brynsiencyn, like Dwyran, are badly affected by congestion.
A new Change.org petition is fighting for residents’ right to be able to easily use Traeth Llanddwyn beach.
He said: “Given that Brynsiencyn receives most of the traffic towards Llanddwyn beach but no rewards, we should benefit from free parking on site by NRW.
“Most of the poorer residents in the village cannot justify the cost of visiting a natural heritage site that should belong to local residents, and who can afford it. It also means that most visitors to Llanddwyn beach, who can afford it, are holidaymakers.”
One of the petition’s signers commented: “It’s outrageous that local people are paying for something on their doorstep.”
While another signatory said: “I live in a beach town where we already have to pay to park at our local beach in the summer.”
Currently, there are three of the seven car parks on Newborough National Reserve that charge for parking. These are the main car park at the beach and two other car parks on the access road to the car park (Airman’s and Cwningar). The free car parks are some distance from Traeth Llanddwyn beach.
Parking charges range from £2 for the first two hours to 40p every 20 minutes thereafter, with a maximum charge of £7 per day. Payments are handled via an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera at the entrance, and parking at these sites is free for blue badge holders.
Llanddwyn car parks often fill up quickly, leading to queues to get in despite the parking charges. Measures have been taken to control the summer traffic jams that plague Newborough, but none have been effective so far.
Earlier this year, Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth urged the Welsh Government to address the appalling traffic conditions plaguing Newborough.
You can view and sign the Change.org petition to grant free parking at Llanddwyn Beach to residents of Brynsiencyn and Llanfairpwll here.
