Jenny Willott, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central, has today written to the new Secretary of State for Transport, Philip Hammond MP, asking him to intervene and delay planned closures to the M4 that would cause chaos for fans travelling to Wembley for Cardiff City’s crucial Play-Off Final against Blackpool.
On Saturday the Bluebirds take on Blackpool in a match that could see them enter the top-flight of football. Thousands of supporters are expected to make the trip from Cardiff to London.
However, the Highways Agency currently plans to close a section of the M4 in Wilshire for bridge repairs starting at 7 pm on Saturday evening. This would mean severe delays and diversions for everyone travelling back to Wales.
Ms Willott has therefore written to the Transport Secretary and the Highways Agency imploring them to delay the closure by a few hours to prevent the disruption.
Commenting Ms Willott said:
“This is one of the most important games in Cardiff City’s history, and a huge number of people will be travelling to Wembley to support the club.
“The game won’t finish until at least 5 pm so people won’t be able to avoid getting caught up in the delays and diversions these roadworks will cause.
“Not only will this inconvenience the fans but it will also cause problems for other motorists, already dealing with unusually high levels of traffic on the roads.
“I very much hope the Highways Agency will consider pushing the roadworks back by a few hours to allow Cardiff City fans a clear route back from Wembley so that, fingers crossed, the celebrations can begin.”
