Westerleigh traffic calming concerns

In 2015, the Frome Vale Area Forum supported an investigation into further traffic calming measures in Westerleigh after complaints from residents about some of the measures implemented so far. These include concerns from local cyclists about the safety of the pinch points.

Unfortunately the final outcome of the investigation has been delayed by the departure of the officer who was handling it. Local councillor Claire Young has been talking to officers to get things back on track and on Wednesday met the officer now working on the investigation and a senior manager from Street Care on site to go through the list of problems residents have raised.

We will update you when we have more information.

Bollard on pinch point damaged in Westerleigh

Over the weekend one of the bollards on the pinch point on Shorthill Road was damaged when a car hit it. The council is aware and Claire has raised it with the Head of Street Care. At the March Area Forum your local councillors agreed there should be an investigation into further traffic calming measures as residents were concerned about the existing ones.

Westerleigh traffic calming meeting

In January, local residents and Claire Young met highways officials to look at concerns about the Westerleigh traffic calming measures.

Speed monitoring data showed good improvements on the road in from Yate and near the speed table. The pinch point at the top of Shorthill Road and the pavement build-out near Broad Lane junction (see left with concerned local residents Alison and Stephen Howard) have been less successful.

A scheme to investigate further measures on Shorthill Road and between the bridge and Broad Lane will be up for consideration at the Frome Vale Area Forum meeting starting at 7pm on Thursday 5th March in Shire Way Community Centre, Yate. It would be a great help if residents could go along to the meeting to show their support for it.

The scheme would be looking particularly at the possibility of further speed tables. One of the things that would need to be looked at is whether the street lighting is of a sufficient standard between the bridge and Broad Lane to install one. It would increase the cost of a scheme massively if new street lighting had to be installed as well as the speed tables and make it far less likely that the scheme would be implemented.

One of the options discussed at the site meeting was whether Westerleigh Road could be closed between the bridge and Kidney Hill, potentially saving money by removing the need for the cycle path to go through the field. After the meeting officers looked at this more closely however  and advised this wouldn't be appropriate as it would more than double the traffic flow through Shorthill Road and potentially have an impact on traffic through the Henfield Quiet Lanes Scheme.

It was mentioned on site that the zebra crossing markings needed refreshing. The road is due to be resurfaced in the summer.

Street Care have been asked about the gouge marks on the speed table. They are happy that it is correctly installed and won't be damaging any vehicles that approach it at the correct speed.

Highways officials took action on one point straight away. Two days after our meeting, they reinstalled a permanent flashing speed sign near the railway bridge (see right).

Temporary road closure for Westerleigh traffic calming

A temporary road closure notice has been published for Shorthill Road starting from 16th May. Fingers crossed this means the work won't wait quite as long as we thought.

Westerleigh traffic calming delayed until May

Work on the Westerleigh traffic calming scheme was due to start this week, but because Shorthill Road needs to be closed for the construction of the raised table officers have postponed it until the May school half term (week starting 26th May).

The delay is frustrating but it will allow plenty of time for the road closure to be booked, the diversion route to be confirmed and so forth. Hopefully this will mean there will be no further reasons to delay the scheme.

Shorthill Road speed table approved

This afternoon Claire Young attended the Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment committee to speak on the item to decide whether or not to approve the speed table on Shorthill Road. The members of the committee unanimously approved it. This is another important hurdle overcome in implementing the Westerleigh traffic calming scheme.

Progress on Westerleigh traffic calming scheme

Last Thursday Claire Young walked round Westerleigh village with the highways engineer now responsible for the traffic calming scheme, Parish Councillors and a representative of Community Speedwatch. The engineer, who has taken over the scheme since the previous officer left the council, proposes the following:

• installing a road narrowing at the existing 30mph/40mph gateway along Shorthill Road approx 0.5m either side of the carriageway
• installing a road narrowing just north of the Old Parsonage on Westerleigh Road approx 0.5m either side of the carriageway.
• investigating the Broad Lane junction in more detail with the proposal to build out the existing verge, possibly with kerbing and tarmac to narrow the road in line with the potential Yate cycle path. The officer will arrange a meeting with the engineer dealing with the proposed cycle path to ascertain what can be achieved within the same cost as a road narrowing. This will most likely not happen at the same time as the other two narrowings due to the complex nature of the work involved.

The Vehicle Activated Sign will remain at the existing location along Shorthill Road. The engineer advised that relocating it on the other side of the road, as had previously been proposed, would not be as effective. Drivers coming down Shorthill Road will see a series of reasons for slowing down – the 30mph limit will start right up at the crossroads, there will be the road narrowing at the entrance to the village, then the Vehicle Activated Sign, then the warning sign for the speed table and then the speed table itself. The officer hopes the speed limit signs can be installed within 2 weeks.

As previously reported, a report on the objections to the speed table will go to the next Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment Committee meeting, which starts at 3pm on Wednesday 20th November in Kingswood Civic Centre. Members of the public are welcome to attend to give their views before the decision is made.

Update on Westerleigh traffic calming

Last week we reported on the delays to the Westerleigh traffic calming scheme. This week Westerleigh Parish Council and ward councillor Claire Young had a productive meeting with officers from South Glos Council. The project is in the hands of a new officer. Besides the objections to the speed table, the sticking points appear to have been keeping the project within budget and technical concerns about the feasibility of the road narrowings proposed. There is a minimum width of road that must be retained on all bus routes and what was previously proposed did not meet that requirement. At the end of the meeting the officers agreed the following:

•  They will take the report on the objections to the speed table to the next Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment Committee meeting in November. Members of the public are welcome to attend to give their views before the decision is made. 
• In parallel with that, the new officer responsible for the scheme will go out on site with local representatives to re-measure the roads and identify what is feasible at each of the three entrances to the village, before drawing up new designs. 
• The revised scheme will then be implemented before the end of this financial year.

Westerleigh traffic calming delays

We had been expecting officers to bring a report on the Westerleigh traffic calming scheme to the September meeting of the Planning, Transport and the Strategic Environment Committee so they could make a decision on the objections to the speed table. Unfortunately this did not happen. Claire spoke to the Head of Street Care to express her strong concern about the lengthy delays to this project. He has agreed to meet Claire and representatives of the Parish Council along with the officers now involved in the implementation of the scheme later this month. Watch this space for more news.

Westerleigh traffic calming update

Claire Young recently asked officers for another update on the Westerleigh traffic calming scheme. The new speed limit signs should have gone in during May but they didn’t. Claire has asked officers to chase this up.

As we previously reported, the installation of the speed table and the road narrowings at the entrances to the village was delayed due to objections to the speed table. Officers are currently writing a report to go to the 4th September meeting of the committee responsible for transport so that they can decide whether or not the scheme is implemented. If you would like to attend the committee to speak on the proposals, the details are here:

http://council.southglos.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=399&MId=6601&Ver=4

If you use an electronic diary, you can download the appointment from there. A week beforehand the committee papers will be published at that url, so you can see what the officer’s report says.

Westerleigh traffic calming latest

The Statutory advertising of both the ‘Proposed 30mph Speed limit’ and the ‘Proposed Speed Table’ closed on the 20th December 2012. There were no objections to the speed limit changes, but two to the speed table.

The comments madewere:

• Noise – There will be a constant noise from vehicles going over the speed humps and this will be especially loud during the night. 
• Pollution – Vehicles will slow down and change gear when approaching the humps and this will increase exhaust emissions 
• Damage – Our car has recently had to have the front struts replaced and the garage indicated that this has been caused by speed humps. They have been in touch with the car manufacturers who are concerned about the number of cars with damage in the UK and this has been put down to traffic calming measures. 
• Repairs to road – Surely the money would be put to better use repairing the road into Westerleigh from Yate which is in a very poor state, rather than spending it needlessly on speed humps. 
• Speed – The speed of the traffic through the village has been considerably reduced in the last few years. The problem is now volume of traffic. When we moved into the village over 30 years ago there was on average a crash once a month on the bend by the village green. There are now very few accidents there. 

Taking into account the turn round in the committee proceedings to take an objection report to the PTSE Committee, officers have decided to carry over monies for the speed table and give way priority / road narrowing measures into the next financial year, as they cannot do one element of the traffic calming without the other. They are going to go ahead with the works to introduce the 30mph speed limit at the locations as originally planned and are now working to implement that.

Progress on Westerleigh traffic calming plans

The next stage in plans to introduce traffic calming to Westerleigh village are up for consultation.

Earlier in the year, South Glos asked local people for their views on proposals to reduce the speed of traffic on Shorthill Road and Westerleigh Road. Based on the comments made, officers have been drawing up plans to extend the 30mph limit, put in a raised speed table by the village hall and create road narrowings at the entrances to the village. The first two of these require Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) and the council has just published the Statutory Notice, part of the formal legal process it has to go through. You can view the notices and make comments via the following links:

• Extension of 30mph speed limit
• Speed table

Officers are still working on plans for the road narrowings.

Monday's traffic calming drop-in is 5-7pm

Contrary to the report in the Gazette today,  Monday's drop-in on the proposed traffic calming proposals in Westerleigh is 5-7pm, as advertised in the Parish Council flyer and this blog. There will be a chance to talk about not only the traffic calming plans for Shorthill Road and Westerleigh Road but also how the Mangotsfield-Yate cycle path will bring safety improvements to the village.

Drop-in to discuss Westerleigh traffic calming proposals

A number of issues were raised during the consultation on the traffic calming proposals for Shorthill Road and Westerleigh Road in Westerleigh. Officers are now going to hold a drop-in session from 5pm-7pm on Monday 14th May in Westerleigh Village Hall so that people can discuss their concerns face-to-face with them.

As well as giving residents a chance to discuss these plans, officers will also bring along the latest plans for the Mangotsfield to Yate cycle path, which will involve other road safety improvements in the village of Westerleigh. You can read more about progress on this on our sister blog.

After the drop-in, officers will stay on to answer questions on the plans at the start of the Annual Parish Meeting.

Have your say on Westerleigh Rd/Shorthill Rd plans

You have until 31st March to have your say on plans for safety improvements on Westerleigh Road and Shorthill Road in Westerleigh. You can view and comment on the proposals online. Don't forget to comment on those parts of the plans that you support as well as raising any concerns you might have.

The proposals include:

• moving the downhill interactive speed sign further up Shorthill so that drivers are warned to slow down earlier
• extending the 30mph speed limit up to the traffic lights on Shorthill and to the other side of the railway bridge on Westerleigh Road
• a pedestrian refuge near the village hall to make it easier to cross the road and to encourage cars to slow down
• improving the signage at the railway bridge to make drivers more aware they are entering a village
• "dragon's teeth" road markings on the approach to the village in both directions to warn drivers to slow down

The plans also try to address some of the issues raised in the disability walkabout that took place last summer (see left). As well as the pedestrian refuge on Shorthill Road, there is a proposal to build out from the corner of the village green to enable dropped kerbs to be put in. This would enable everyone, including wheelchair users, to cross at the point where visibility is greatest.

Shorthill crossroads traffic lights go live tomorrow

The new traffic signals at the junction of Westerleigh Road and Shorthill Road will be switched on tomorrow, Tuesday 15 July.

There will be some testing to start with and the traffic light specialists will be there through the first afternoon and morning peaks to fine tune the system and make sure everything is working OK.

Hopefully the lights will reduce the accident rate on this very busy junction.