In 2024, the Welsh Trunk Road Agents (NMWTRA and SWTRA) in collaboration with the Traffic Wales service, worked tirelessly to manage Wales’ motorways and trunk roads. Together, they handled everything from breakdowns to adverse weather and road debris, ensuring safety and minimising delays across 938 miles of trunk road and 110 miles of motorway.
Both Trunk Road Agents manage, maintain, and improve the strategic road network on behalf of the Welsh Government. Their work, alongside the efforts of Traffic Wales, underpins the shared goal of making journeys safer, smoother, and more reliable for all road users.
Operational staff at the traffic management centres dealt with an impressive 33,485 events across Wales, including:
North & Mid Wales:
- 666 incidents involving debris.
- 182 animal-related incidents.
- 3,960 breakdowns.
South Wales:
- 909 pieces of debris collected.
- 131 incidents involving animals.
- 8,953 breakdowns.
The M4 and A55 continued to be Wales' busiest roads. On July 26th, the M4 saw over 1.2 million journeys recorded with Newport, Cardiff, Swansea, and Llangyfelach having the highest traffic counts. Similarly, August 30th was the busiest day for the A55 with more than 900,000 journeys observed on this route. Northop, Holywell, St Asaph, and Conway recorded the largest vehicle volumes that day.
Traffic Officers attended approximately 13,679 events across Wales, with 92% involving breakdowns—underscoring the importance of regular vehicle checks. South Wales officers maintained an average response time of 6 minutes and 16 seconds, while their North Wales counterparts averaged 10 minutes. Over the last four months, officers in North Wales removed 6.4 vehicles per day to keep roads clear.
Storm Darragh brought a 200% increase in calls to the Traffic Wales helpline and a 126% surge in emails, testing the resilience of teams. Despite the challenges, staff worked around the clock to provide timely updates and assistance. Communications Manager Llinos Evans reflected:
“Storm Darragh highlighted just how much adverse weather can impact travel and the roads, creating unexpected challenges for drivers and our teams alike. Every day is different, but our goal is always the same—to ensure people can travel safely and with as little disruption as possible.”
Traffic Wales encourages all road users to prioritise safety by performing regular vehicle checks, planning journeys, and staying informed via our website and social media channels.
A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated staff, partners, and road users for helping make 2024 a success. Together, we look forward to keeping Wales moving in 2025.