BOROUGH OF POOLE

TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY GROUP - 14 OCTOBER 2004

REPORT OF HEAD OF TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

2004/05 CAPITAL PROGRAMME

RINGWOOD ROAD/ROSEMARY ROAD SAFETY SCHEME

1. Purpose of Report

1.1. To approve a safety scheme at the junction of Ringwood Road and Rosemary Road in support of the Council’s policy to achieve government targets for casualty reduction.

1.2.To consider suggestions from the East Alderney and Rossmore Residents Association (EARRA) for Rosemary Road

2. Recommendation

2.1 It is recommended that:-

i)The existing substantial tree in Ringwood Road north of the junction with Rosemary Road is removed in order to improve visibility for vehicles emerging from Rosemary Road.

ii)Two semi-mature ‘street wise’ trees are planted in Ringwood Road outside of the Rosemary Road visibility splay.

iii)Advance warning sign is erected in Ringwood Road, north of the junction, to inform road users that there is a side road ahead.

iv)The comments from EARRA be noted but no action be taken to close Rosemary Road at the eastern end.

  1. Background
  2. The location under consideration is the junction of Ringwood Road and Rosemary Road. Ringwood Road is one of the main north-south links in the conurbation; Rosemary Road serves the residential area of Rossmore. Conventional ‘Give Way’ carriageway markings delineate the exit from Rosemary Road. Carriageway and cycleway markings have recently been renewed at this junction.
  3. Visibility from Rosemary Road looking north along Ringwood Road is considerably obscured by a large Poplar tree in the footway only 12m from the junction.
  4. As Ringwood road is only 8.7m wide there is no dedicated right turn lane into Rosemary Road. Due to the close proximity of public utility chambers and apparatus in the footway at this junction it is not possible to alter the kerb radius of Rosemary Road without incurring substantial utility diversionary costs.
  5. The proposed scheme is shown on the attached plan (Appendix A). This was originally reported to the Newtown and Parkstone Area Committee on 15 September 2004, but as a Newtown Ward Councillor had received objections to the loss of the tree from EARRA he asked for the matter to be deferred to allow him to consult further on the issue. The residents association also raised a number of other issues relating to Rosemary Road and these are considered further below.

4.0 Accident Data

4.1Available accident data for the four-year period to 2002 shows that there have been eleven accidents within the vicinity of this junction.

Year / Number of accidents recorded at junction
1999 / 2
2000 / 4
2001 / 1
2002 / 4

4.2Of the eleven accidents five have involved two wheeled vehicles (three pedal cycles and two motorcycles)

4.3There are not an unusual number of accidents in the wet or in the dark and the road surface is in fair condition.

4.4Accidents that have occurred at the junction show a pattern of vehicles emerging from Rosemary Road either hitting or being hit by vehicles travelling south on Ringwood Road. In the majority of cases the vehicles on Ringwood Road are either pedal cyclists or motor cyclists.

4.5It would seem, therefore, that vehicles emerging from Rosemary Road are not seeing vehicles travelling south on Ringwood Road, particularly two wheeled vehicles.

5.0Proposed Scheme

5.1Appendix A shows the visibility envelope at the Ringwood Road/Rosemary Road when a motorist is 2.5m from the stop line. A large area of highway is hidden from view, particularly near the kerb where two wheeled vehicles tend to travel.

5.2It is concluded that removing the Poplar tree that is located in the footway 12m north of the junction should reduce the number of accidents at this junction.

5.3Safety at the junction will be further improved by making emerging traffic more visible to traffic on Ringwood Road. This will be further enhanced by erecting an advance warning sign approximately 45m north of the junction, informing road users of the side road ahead.

5.4Leisure Services have been consulted on the removal of the Poplar tree and although they are reluctant to see any highway tree removed from the Borough it is accepted that this particular Poplar tree is at the end of its useful natural life at this location.

5.5In order to mitigate the loss of the tree it is to be replaced with two semi-mature ‘street wise’ trees, which will be maintained as part of the highway tree stock by Leisure Services.

5.6If possible the replacement trees are to be planted in Ringwood Road, outside of the Rosemary Road visibility splay. The exact locations will be determined by the excavation of trial holes, ensuring that adequate tree pits can be established without adversely affecting public utility apparatus within the footway or to the detrimental effect of the existing cycle way.

5.7A number of similar trees have been planted in Ringwood Road, to the south of the Rosemary Road junction, over recent years and it is anticipated that the provision of two further trees will enhance the ‘Avenue’ effect along this section of Ringwood Road.

6Residents Association Suggestions

6.1EARRA discussed this scheme at their meeting on 7 September. The majority of their members present felt that it would be better to ban the right turn at the junction and retain the tree.

6.2This is not considered a suitable solution as it will still leave vehicles turning left at the junction and would still have restricted visibility if the tree remained. Also, experience elsewhere indicates that right turn bans are routinely ignored unless they can be physically enforced – Ringwood Road is too narrow to accommodate a suitable median strip, and this would also require the right turn into the junction to be banned. Even with a physical restriction, drivers often make a U turn in a nearby junction. There are likely to be objections to a right turn ban, as this will force traffic to use another junction to enter that main road network.

6.3The Association also asked for consideration of a closure of Rosemary Road at the eastern end. The extensive consultation prior to the Upper Parkstone Traffic Calming Scheme indicated that closures and no-entry restrictions were not popular amongst residents, as they merely displace traffic onto another road. The effects of the traffic calming scheme are summarised in Appendix B, which illustrates the large reduction in accidents that the scheme has provided. It is also clear that the traffic calming measures, especially those in Rossmore Road have very substantially reduced the amount of traffic using Rosemary Road.

6.4The Association’s concerns about vehicle speeds in Rosemary Road will be passed to the police, and their request for yellow lines to assist access to driveways will be considered by the Traffic Panel and reported to the Newtown and Parkstone Area Committee.

7Financial Consideration

7.1The approximate cost of this scheme will be £10,000 and will be funded from the Road Safety Category of the 2004/05 Capital Programme

JIM BRIGHT

Head of Transportation Services

Background Papers- None

Appendix A- Drawing Number JC0370/02/A – NOT AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY

Appendix B - Summary of the effects of the Upper Parkstone Traffic Calming Scheme

Name and Telephone Number of Officer Contact

Desmond Fox (01202) 262072

TAG141004T3J

Appendix B
Upper Parkstone Traffic Calming Scheme

The calming features were concentrated on the stretches of road with worst accident records. The traffic calming scheme was closely monitored during its implementation and its effects are published in the annual revision of the Local Transport Plan. The summary indicates the overwhelming success that the scheme has had in reducing accidents, not just in the treated roads but throughout the whole of the Upper Parkstone Area.

1. Accidents

Accidents :- Average No. of Injury Accidents per year
Area / Before(1988 – 1990) / After
Phase 1 / 8 / 1.3
Phase 2 / 4 / 1
Phase 3 / 2.7 / 0
Remainder of Upper Parkstone Area / 10 / 8
Surrounding Main Roads / 51 / 47

2. Traffic Speeds

1Vehicle Speeds on Treated Roads
Average Speed (mph)
Road / Phase / Before / After
Albert Road (N) / 1 / 33 / 15.1
Albert Road (S) / 2 / 27 / 15.4
Churchill Road / 3 / 30 / 18.7
Livingston Road / 4 / 24 / 16.5
Recreation Road (W) / 1 / 37 / 16.7
Recreation Road (E) / 1 / 35 / 11
Rossmore Road / 1 / 32 / 15.1
Victoria Road / 4 / 32 / 17.2

Concerns have been raised that vehicle speeds may have increased in Albert Road as drivers became familiar with the scheme. Speed surveys were repeated on 6 November 2001 and the results are summarised below:-

Average Speed (mph) / 85% Speed
(mph)
Site 1 – North of Cromwell Road
(midway between humps)
Northbound / 16 / 18
Southbound / 16 / 18
Site 2 – Between Argyll and Glencoe Roads (on hump)
Northbound / 14 / 16
Southbound / 13 / 15
Site 3 – On hump at Recreation Road
Northbound / 14 / 16
Southbound / 15 / 17

The results are very much in line with the results obtained shortly after the scheme was introduced.

3. Traffic Flows

The calming measures were devised to treat at least part of all of the main through routes across the area, so that traffic does not just divert from one route to another. Traffic Surveys indicate that the calming measures have not just reduced through traffic in the calmed roads themselves, but also in the other main routes through the area.

Average Daily Traffic Flows
Surrounding Roads / Before / After / Untreated Roads in the Area / Before / After
Alder Road / 21000 / 21000 / Sunnyside Road / 2300 / 1780
Ashley Road / 19000 / 18000 / Rosemary Road / 2800 / 1300
Ringwood Road / 29000 / 29000 / Gwynne Road / 850 / 1140
Herbert Avenue / 16000 / 20000 / Brixey Road / 2700 / 1300
Victoria Road / 2600 / 3200
Treated Roads / Before / After / Rossmore Road / 6850 / 1040
Churchill Road / 6500 / 3116 / Cranbrook Road / 2700 / 2310
Rossmore Road / 7300 / 2400 / Sylvan Road / 2300 / 1830
Albert Road / 6500 / 2000
Recreation Road / 4700 / 3000
Stanfield Road / 4500 / 1660
Wharfedale Road / 1100 / 900
Playfields Drive / 2700 / 1070

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