Have you noticed how quiet Borthyn is these days?
The volume of traffic has reduced significantly following the almost simultaneous opening of the northern link road and drainage works on the main Park Road A494. It’s now quite possible to walk across Borthyn without hesitation, to cross easily where once a pedestrian had to wait for both streams of traffic to part.
No doubt some traffic will return to Borthyn once the Park Road drainage works are complete and the road resurfaced – but how much? The northern link road has effectively relegated Borthyn to carrying local traffic and those heading towards Y Bala, plus some for the Cae Ddol and Park Road car parks. Good news for those frontages on the main road itself.
All other traffic benefits from the northern link road, including those heading to or from Ysgol Brynhyfryd a Pharc Brynhyfryd, Erw Goch & Red Rocks, Llanfair Road, county hall and all other car parks – not to mention Tesco’s and the other supermarkets.
Is it our imagination or does it also seem that Tesco and the northern link road have between them reduced trade at Bridge Services? This is the Texaco service station-cum-convenience-store at the River Clwyd’s bridging point, near Borthyn.
Upon Tesco’s opening, we wouldn’t have put Bridge Services down as a top candidate to suffer. But logically, those wishing to buy a bottle of wine, 20 cigs or a loaf of bread are probably migrating to Tesco’s, perhaps in some small numbers.
But more than that, in spite of Bridge Services’ recent internal refurbishment and reordering, it can sometimes give the air of being a slightly chaotic store. Does this put off custom, in the face of competition from the aseptic and regimented Tesco? Time was when you could find those obscure magazines at Bridge Services you couldn’t even at W H Smith in Chester (but that was about 20 years ago). The more mainstream magazines now stocked can at times be jumbled and disordered, intermingled with back issues.
But Bridge Services offers a vital community lifeline for those living near it and petrol, of course, to the traveller. Rhuthun should be thankful that it retains two petrol filling stations. Many rural communities have none. Perhaps trade will increase when Park Road is open - let's hope so, for all our sakes.
The volume of traffic has reduced significantly following the almost simultaneous opening of the northern link road and drainage works on the main Park Road A494. It’s now quite possible to walk across Borthyn without hesitation, to cross easily where once a pedestrian had to wait for both streams of traffic to part.
No doubt some traffic will return to Borthyn once the Park Road drainage works are complete and the road resurfaced – but how much? The northern link road has effectively relegated Borthyn to carrying local traffic and those heading towards Y Bala, plus some for the Cae Ddol and Park Road car parks. Good news for those frontages on the main road itself.
All other traffic benefits from the northern link road, including those heading to or from Ysgol Brynhyfryd a Pharc Brynhyfryd, Erw Goch & Red Rocks, Llanfair Road, county hall and all other car parks – not to mention Tesco’s and the other supermarkets.Is it our imagination or does it also seem that Tesco and the northern link road have between them reduced trade at Bridge Services? This is the Texaco service station-cum-convenience-store at the River Clwyd’s bridging point, near Borthyn.
Upon Tesco’s opening, we wouldn’t have put Bridge Services down as a top candidate to suffer. But logically, those wishing to buy a bottle of wine, 20 cigs or a loaf of bread are probably migrating to Tesco’s, perhaps in some small numbers.But more than that, in spite of Bridge Services’ recent internal refurbishment and reordering, it can sometimes give the air of being a slightly chaotic store. Does this put off custom, in the face of competition from the aseptic and regimented Tesco? Time was when you could find those obscure magazines at Bridge Services you couldn’t even at W H Smith in Chester (but that was about 20 years ago). The more mainstream magazines now stocked can at times be jumbled and disordered, intermingled with back issues.
But Bridge Services offers a vital community lifeline for those living near it and petrol, of course, to the traveller. Rhuthun should be thankful that it retains two petrol filling stations. Many rural communities have none. Perhaps trade will increase when Park Road is open - let's hope so, for all our sakes.