ECCLESHALL PARISH COUNCIL – TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE – Wednesday, July 3^rd 2024

A meeting of the Traffic Management Committee was held on Wednesday, July 3^rd at Eccleshall Community Centre at 7.00 pm, preceding a meeting of the Planning Committee.

Present were:-

Councillor P. Jones (Chair)                              Councillor S. Perren

Councillor D. Hall                                               Councillor R. Langford

Councillor G. Dale                                              Councillor A. Reid

Councillor D. Hill                                                Councillor M. Gosling

Councillor R. Taylor

Mrs S. J. Worden (Clerk)

No members of the public.

Observer: Cllr. D. Feneysey

1).    Apologies:-

Apologies were received from Cllrs. Ryan-Bloor and Wilkins.

2).    Election of Chairman / Vice Chairman:-

Councillor Jones was nominated and re-elected as Chairman for the ensuing year.

Councillor Reid was nominated and re-elected as Vice- Chairman for the ensuing year.

3).   Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024:-

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

4).  To receive any feedback from the working group in relation to the project to build a vision for our town centre over the next 10-20 years, including parking and traffic flows, cycling and paths, the High Street as a destination as well as a part of local service infrastructure

The working group has not yet met. It was agreed that Cllr. Taylor will lead the group and arrange a meeting to start the process.

5).   Staffordshire County Council Highways meeting:

• Feedback from the site meeting in relation to proposed refurbishment of lighting at the pedestrian crossing and to consider if lighting cowls are required:

As a result of the meeting, Highways undertook a review of the lighting and it is planned to:

• Repaint each belisha post.
• Replace each amber globe with a new globe and fit a higher output LED lamp.
• Replace the lanterns illuminating the crossing with LED lanterns.

Members considered whether cowls were needed for nearby residents, but without a clear understanding of the potential increase in light, it was difficult to determine need. It was noted that cowls may restrict the view of the lights of drivers approaching from the Stone Road, so lights without cowls would be preferable if this was not detrimental to nearby residents. The Clerk was given authority to liaise with county officers to determine if the lights could be trialled without the cowls, but if they could be installed later if there was a need. If cowls are required to be included at the point of installation, and deemed necessary by officer, the Clerk will ask if they be aligned to maximise visibility for drivers approaching from the Stone Road.

• Feedback from the site meeting with Staffordshire County Council officers – other items. As well as the concerns about the location of the pedestrian crossing, the group discussed potential options to change the current parking time restrictions, implement a small number of disabled parking bays, remove some of the outdated signage at the Stone Road roundabout, and re-site some of the existing signage to improve visibility. To provide a fully costed report of all available options, the Staffordshire County Council can undertake a feasibility study quoted at a cost of £3,000, to be met by the Parish Council. Members noted the report would be helpful in informing the development of the town centre vision. It was agreed for the Clerk to go back to the County officers and see if the report cost would be reduced if the pedestrian crossing assessment was removed, as the County Council has advised that moving of a zebra crossing would cost between 75-100k, which is outside of the scope of the Parish Council budget. The Clerk will also ask them to define the geographical area and content of the report so it is clear what will be included.

6).   Safety issues raised by residents in relation to a road traffic accident at Broughton Parish Rooms, Wetwood and consider any actions to be undertaken

Residents brought their concerns to the PC meeting on the 17^th April regarding a serious incident on the 7th April whereby a car travelling at speed along the B5026 lost control and crashed, demolishing a hedge, knocking over a telegraph pole, and eventually landing on and crushing a parked car (which had someone inside) and damaging another car, both of which have been written off. They raised issues that  included the poor lighting around a well-used community space, inadequate highway signposting and the 60mph speed limit being unsuitable for the two junctions and for the safety of those pulling out from BPR car park.

The council raised the concerns with County Councillor Pert, who advised that this year’s allocation of the divisional highways fund for works such as these has already been allocated to the implementation of safety measures along a stretch of road at Beech on the A519, which is a regular accident black spot. He advised that the cost of a change to a speed limit – subject to approval by all statutory parties and with sufficient local support is approximately £7,500. It was also noted that where County Council funds are not available, parish councils can step in to pay the costs. Cllr. Langford advised she had received a verbal update from Cllr. Pert who has a meeting scheduled with highways officers to discuss the problem and ways forward. There was strong feeling from members that the current national speed limit was unsuitable for this area and that a lower speed limit should be implemented for safety of local residents and users of the Parish Rooms. Residents have also petitioned Cllr. Pert directly for action.

It was resolved for the Clerk to obtain an update from Cllr. Pert and request his attendance at the July parish council meeting to share his feedback and discuss next options to resolve the problem.

7).   Parking – to consider any feedback on potential options for providing additional parking within Eccleshall town.

Cllr. Taylor is in the process of arranging a face to face meeting with local landowners to discuss any options available and will report back at the earliest opportunity.

8).   Report on concerns with unsafe parking at Bishops Lonsdale Primary Academy at drop off and collection times.

The clerk has been liaising with the PCSO following complaints by residents over dangerous and obstructive parking along Shaws Lane and within the Overton Manor estate. Drivers are blocking driveways, other road users and parking on double yellow lines. The PCSO was provided with licence plate numbers from webcam stills and has also requested visits from the parking enforcement team who can penalise those parking in restricted areas. The PCSO is planning to send a letter to the school, for distribution to parents. The PCSO can attend and penalise obstructive parking, but this is dependent on staffing resource, as the PCSO’s cover a large area. It was noted that some of the traffic bottlenecks could be eased if the traffic was stopped less frequently by the school crossing attendant. Cllr. Taylor will invite the head teacher who has expressed an interest in attending the next council meeting to discuss the problem and any potential solutions.

9).   Correspondence

No correspondence was received.

10).  Items for the next meeting

Any items for the next meeting can be forwarded to the Clerk. Cllr. Reid will provide an updated speed camera report.

7).   Date of next meeting:- 2^nd October 2024, 7pm.

The Clerk will consider if the meeting can be moved to a later timeslot on that date so as not to encroach on the planning committee meeting time. There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 8.05pm.