ECCLESHALL PARISH COUNCIL – TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE – Wednesday, April 5^th 2023

A meeting of the Traffic Management Committee was held on Wednesday, April 5^th at Eccleshall Community Centre, at 7.00 pm preceding a meeting of the Planning Committee.

Present were:-

Councillor L. Dale (Chair)                           Councillor S. Perren

Councillor D. Hill                                            Councillor R. Langford

Councillor G. Dale                                      Councillor A. Reid

Mrs S. J. Worden (Clerk)

Seven members of the public.

1).   Apologies:-

Apologies were received from Cllrs. Leather, P. Jones, J. Jones and Wilkins.

2).   Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday, October 5th, 2022:-

The minutes, which had previously been noted by the Council were agreed and signed.

3).   Speed Indication Devices: – To review speed data reports, consider future reporting activities and any actions arising from the report conclusions.

Members were provided copies of reports evaluating speed device data during 2022 at each of the speed device locations. The devices are able to record speeds of vehicles that approach the SID as well as those travelling away from it.  When the SID (speed indication device) is in a rotating position this allows us to assess the impact of the sign when vehicles are approaching the sign and can see the display, against speed when moving away from the sign and cannot see the display. The committee noted that the data obtained was very interesting and shows proven success in reducing speed on the roads in many locations around the parish. Thanks were expressed to Cllr. Reid for analysing the data and presenting it to the committee.

Points noted from the analysis included:

• The majority of results showed vehicles were travelling at 35mph or less.
• Stone Rd – the SID decreased the speed of those exiting Eccleshall but had little impact on those approaching the town (possibly an effect of the chicane further up). It may be worth considering not rotating the unit.
• Chester Road – as this does not rotate, there is no way to evidence the impact of the unit when the sign is not visible. Actions could include considering the feasibility of rotating the unit or turn the display off for a month, whereby data is still collected but drivers don’t see the speed displayed.
• Newport Road – 2022 data showed notable increases in speed for vehicles leaving Eccleshall. However, the setup has recently changed with the addition of a permanent unit by Cross Butts so it is worth reviewing in 6 months to see if the presence of the Southwell unit combined with the Cross Butts unit affects the data collected by the Cross Butts unit.
• Green Lane – data shows a clear reduction in speed of vehicles when approaching the speed display.
• Croxton – when comparing speed of traffic approaching the SID vs coming the other way, the SID dramatically decreases the speed for vehicles heading east towards Eccleshall (about 9% compliance with the limit), but we don’t see anywhere near the same level of benefit when the SID is facing traffic heading west (away from Eccleshall). It was noted that the limited effect of the unit when facing traffic from Eccleshall is possibly due to the positioning near a blind bend.
• Slindon – data showed between 75-85% adherence to the speed limits, but there is no comparison between facing and non-facing traffic as the units aren’t rotated. This could be assessed by turning the units off for a month and analysing that data.

Concerns were raised with respect to the high levels of speeding through Croxton and it was suggested that it may be beneficial to install an extra SID location at an earlier point within the 30mph limit (as you approach from Eccleshall).

It was resolved to recommend that the Council contact Highways to see if they would approve an additional location and to approach contractors to quote for installation of an extra post.

4).   To discuss and consider any new opportunities with regards to parking spaces in town and ongoing parking concerns

Members considered ongoing parking concerns raised.. A survey of available parking spaces was circulated to members, which identified 246 free parking currently available in the centre of Eccleshall, with 146 of those restricted to a 2 hour visit. It was noted that 60 spaces were not formal parking allocations.

Discussions included that although parking may not always be an issue, there may be certain days/times where there is peak requirement. It would be helpful to identify these times, and the effects on surrounding roads.  Councillors were keen to explore opportunities for land that could be flagged up to the Borough and County Councils to acquire for parking.

It was resolved to recommend setting up a Parking Working Group, with membership to be agreed at the Annual Council meeting on May 24^th who would report to the Traffic Management Committee. It’s remit would include:

• Undertaking a survey to establish peak parking pressures and resulting illegal parking issues which could inform targeted visits by County enforcement officers.
• Proactively identifying available land and requesting acquisition by the Borough/County Council for parking provision.
• Continue to look for solutions to improve parking.

Members observed a number of parking spaces in the High Street could be taken up by multiple employees from the same business. It was resolved to recommend to write to all local businesses to encourage consideration of alternatives such as car sharing, walking or parking further out and walking in.

5).   To receive an update on EV charging points and further information regarding whether lampposts in Eccleshall High Street can be used as charging points.

Members received an update from the Climate Change Working Group on the current position on the research into EV charging points in Eccleshall. A recently implemented County Council strategy has ruled against on street charging provision, and therefore this option is no longer viable. The report concluded that at present EV provision will need to be on private land, unless County policy changes.

 6).  To consider the issue of potholes and whether to submit an FOI request to find out compensation costs incurred as a result of vehicle damage

It was resolved to recommend submission of an FOI request to ascertain:

• Costs incurred by the County Council in compensation paid for vehicle damage due to potholes within Eccleshall Parish in the last 12 months.
• The total number of potholes reported in the last 12 months within the parish, and how many of those potholes have been repaired to date.

 7).  To receive any feedback on recent highway remedial works to High Street.

Remedial works were recently completed to repair the substandard patching works undertaken in January. It was resolved to recommend contacting Highways to find out when surface dressing works are planned.

   8).   Highways issues in Croxton:

• Outstanding clearance of blocked drains along the B5026 and related flooding. Reports to request drain clearance have been submitted and are still outstanding as not considered urgent. Streetscene recently undertook a sweep of the area but it has not improved. It was resolved to request a re-sweep of the area and identify specific areas of concern.
• Speeding of cars through the village. A number of residents have raised concerns about the excessive levels of speeding, made worse by a blind bend and narrow footpaths in the area by the garage. In addition to exploring opportunities for an additional speed sign location, it was resolved to recommend writing to Cllr. Pert to request:
  • what speed mitigation measures could be considered and associated costs.
  • To liaise with highways to prioritise the reinstatement of a 30mph roundel on the ‘blind’ bend by Croxton which has been knocked off the post.

   8).   Correspondence

• To receive the response from County Council highways regarding dangers to pedestrians crossing the Newport Road at the crossroads of Green Lane and Cross Butts in Eccleshall. The County Council has advised that after reviewing the accident data for this area, the request for a road safety audit and consideration of implementing safety measures will not be prioritised through the Divisional Highways Programme for further investigation.
• Resident Correspondence regarding speeding traffic and parking in Eccleshall. A number of instances of poor and illegal parking have been provided to the committee. It is possible to report parking offences to the County enforcement team online but the system can be unreliable. Councillors can support residents in submitting reports. It was advised that keeping a record of when and where these incidents occur will be beneficial as enforcement officers will know when to attend for the best results. The Clerk was asked to put up a Facebook post with links to the online pothole and parking reporting webpages.

9).    Items for the next meeting

Any other items for the next meeting can be forwarded to the Clerk.

  10).   Date of next meeting:- 5^th July 2023.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 7.50pm