VISITORS and staff at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan are being asked to co-operate with new traffic flow advice for up to 32 weeks of roadworks, to safeguard emergency admissions.

Access and footway improvements on Rhuddlan Road, adjacent to the hospital, are part of plans to build 100 new residential homes, with work due to begin on July 1.

It will see a section of carriageway, approaching the hospital from the A55 and Bodelwyddan, closed between 9am and 3.30pm on weekdays and some weekends, with temporary traffic lights in operation.

Glan Clwyd’s director of operations, Jalibani Ndebele, is asking both staff and visitors driving to the site to approach from the opposite direction, via the A525 and Sarn Lane, if possible.

This is to allow emergency ambulances priority access through the roadworks from the A55 and into the hospital’s emergency department.

Jalibani Ndebele said: “I’m really making a heartfelt plea to those driving to our hospital to be considerate during these disruptions.

“If visitors and staff who are driving to Glan Clwyd can use the approach from the A525 Rhuddlan-St Asaph bypass, along Sarn lane, it would really help us to keep that life-saving access free for our colleagues in the Welsh Ambulance Service.

“I understand it will be an inconvenience to some but we need to work together with the public to make sure we keep access open for our most seriously unwell arrivals.”

Pure Residential and Commercial, organising the works, have been in close consultation with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and will operate traffic signals to give priority to emergency vehicles approaching the hospital.

Glan Clwyd staff have already been asked to consider car-sharing with colleagues to reduce traffic pressures on site and consider whether they could use the bus or cycle to work, depending on where they live.

Jalibani Ndebele said the public might also be able to help reduce the parking chaos.

He added: “If you have an appointment at Glan Clwyd Hospital, can you be dropped off and picked up afterwards? If appropriate, could you use public transport?

“We already have massive problems on site due to inconsiderate parking, which have forced us to look at considering further enforcement measures.

“Ambulances sometimes have difficulty getting through Glan Clwyd to get to the emergency department and this work has the potential to stop them even getting on to the hospital grounds in a timely manner.

“Any help in reducing the traffic pressures around the hospital will ultimately benefit our patients.”