FOR INFORMATION ONLY

BROADSTONE, BEARWOOD AND MERLEY AREA COMMITTEE

18 March 2009

REPORT OF HEAD OF TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

Traffic Panel

  1. Requests for minor traffic measures, particularly if they involve Traffic Orders or have other implications on traffic flow, are generally considered by the Traffic Panel. The Traffic Panel consists of Council officers and representatives of the Police, emergency services, and the Bus Company. The panel seeks advice from Councillors, the refuse collection service and emergency services prior to their meeting and then makes recommendations on the requests. This process allows requests to be considered on a consistent basis across the borough and satisfies the requirement that the Police and emergency services are consulted at an early stage in the preparation of any orders.
  2. The Traffic Panel’s consideration of the issues and their recommendation is recorded in the minutes, which are circulated to all council members after the meeting. If no objections are raised to any of the items then the Panel’s recommendations are approved under delegated powers and this is reported to the next meeting of the relevant committee.
  3. The Traffic Panel met on 28 January 2009 and discussed the following items concerning this committee:

(i)Wallace Road – Requests for yellow lines

(ii)Arrowsmith Road – Request for an extension of the 30mph limit

(iii)Magna Road – Request for “horses” warning signs

The Panel’s recommendations are attached below and have been approved under delegated powers.

JULIAN McLAUGHLIN

Head of Transportation Services

Background PapersNone

Name and Telephone Number of Officer Contact

Steve Dean(01202) 262071
Location: / Wallace Road
Ward: / Broadstone
Approval & Funding: / Broadstone, Merley and Bearwood Area Committee
Request by: /

Local Residents

Nature of Request: / Extension of the yellow lines to give a larger clearance at the Higher Blandford Road junction and the imposition of yellow lines to keep parking to one side of the road
Background: / This request was considered by the Transportation and Technical Services Committee on 18 January 1996, the committee did not feel able to justify extending the lines at that time but suggested that the issue could be reviewed after the limited waiting restrictions were imposed in the centre of Broadstone. The Area Committee considered the issue again on 19 May 2004 and, again, it was resolved that additional yellow lines were not justified.
Members Comments: / None
Emergency Services Refuse Collection Comment: / No specific comments but they would generally support measures that protect their access.
Traffic Panel Comments: / The Panel noted that the entry to Wallace Road is already protected by yellow lines for the standard distance that is generally applied at junctions like this. The Area Committee generally has a waiting list of other locations with more pressing problems and, indeed, is regularly forced to turn down requests at junctions which do not enjoy the protection of any restrictions at all.
With the standard clearance applying within Wallace Road itself and restrictions extending some way along Lower Blandford Road the Panel did not feel that there is any more of a hazard here than at many other similar junctions throughout the Borough.
With regard to the request that parking is confined to one side of the road, observations suggest that the amount of parking in Wallace Road is not unusual for an urban residential road and there is no particular justification for introducing parking restrictions here.
Recommendation: / No Action
Estimated Cost: / £1,000
Priority: / Amenity
Likely Objectors: / There may be objections to displaced parking
Location: / Arrowsmith Road
Ward: / Merley and Bearwood
Approval & Funding: / Broadstone, Merley and Bearwood Area Committee
Request by: /

Local residents

Nature of Request: / Extension of the 30mph limit in Arrowsmith Road
Background: / 30mph and 40mph speed limits were recently imposed in Arrowsmith Road
Members Comments: / None
Emergency Services Refuse Collection Comment: / No specific comments but they would generally support measures that protect their access.
Traffic Panel Comments: / The Panel noted that the existing signs were located at point where there was a clear change in the character of the road – the 30mph section included a series of bends and all of the houses in the road, the 40mph section is effectively straight, with verges and no houses.
The residents have expressed concerns that there is a bridleway midway along the 40mph stretch and a nearby crest could mask pedestrians. The Panel were informed that, although there were accesses to the open spaces here, there were no official footpaths or bridleways. Very few pedestrians actually crossed the road here, and even if they did this was not a factor in the speed limit criteria.
The Panel felt that the current change point is in the most appropriate location, and that to extend the 30mph limit would remove the signs from the location where they have most impact, where they compliment a clear change in character of the road. The Panel would oppose an extension of the 30mph limit.
Recommendation: / No Action
Estimated Cost: / £1,000.
Priority: / Safety
Likely Objectors: / The Police have already objected to the previous proposal to reduce the speed limit to 30mph and would also object to an extension here.
Location: / Magna Road
Ward: / Merley and Bearwood
Approval & Funding: / Broadstone, Merley and Bearwood Area Committee
Request by: /

A Local resident

Nature of Request: / Signs to warn drivers that horses are being ridden or escorted in the area
Background: / None
Members Comments: / None
Emergency Services Refuse Collection Comment: / No specific comments but they would generally support measures that protect their access.
Traffic Panel Comments: / The Panel noted that Councils are being urged to reduce sign clutter and Poole Council has adopted an anti sign-clutter policy. The Policy includes the following statement:
The Council will not normally erect warning signs unless they are a legal requirement or address an accident problem that has been identified by an accident record.
This is also in line with Government signing guidance, which warns against devaluing the impact of warning signs by over-use in areas where drivers are already aware of the hazard. The Panel felt that warning signs would have very little effect on driver behaviour here, particularly as a large proportion of the drivers were regular users, and the horses themselves will be more conspicuous than the signs.
Recommendation: / No Action
Estimated Cost: / £500.
Priority: / Safety
Likely Objectors: / This would lead to similar requests elsewhere