Traffic Management Committee Meeting

A meeting of the Traffic Management Committee was held on Wednesday, June 5th, 2019 at Eccleshall Community Centre at 7pm.

1). Present were:- Councillor L. Dale (Chair) Councillor J. Leather Councillor P. Jones Councillor R. Langford
Councillor E. Amos Councillor P. Stenning
Mrs S. J. Worden (Clerk)

Apologies:- There were no apologies.

2). Election of Chairman and Vice-Chairman:- Councillor P. Jones took the Chair and requested nominations for Chairman of the Committee. Councillor Dale was nominated and elected as Chair for the ensuing year.
Councillor Dale requested nominations for Vice-Chair of the committee and Councillor Leather was duly re-elected.

3). Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday March 6th, 2019:- The minutes, which had previously been noted by the Council were agreed and signed.

4). Matters arising from the Minutes:- There were no matters arising

5). Meeting with Mr Richard Rayson, Community Highway Liaison Manager – June 6th, 2019:-
It was noted the meeting would be with Mr. Tim Buxton and Mr. Trevor Mellor of Highways as Mr. Rayson had sent apologies. Issues identified for addition to the existing agenda included the condition of Small Lane; speed reduction measures along Shaws Lane and whether the speed sign by Green Lane was working correctly.

6). Speed Indication Devices:-
Following a site meeting with Mr. Tim Buxton which was also attended by County Cllr. Pert, 7 locations were identified that highways would be happy to agree. A report was circulated to all members prior to the meeting. The locations are:
1. Newport Road, by Southwell Estate (outgoing traffic)
2. Newport Road, by Cross Butts (incoming traffic)
3. Green Lane, mid-point (camera to be reversed for either direction)
4. Loggerheads Road by Cricket Club (incoming traffic)
5. Loggerheads Road by Wash Pits (outgoing traffic)
6. Stone Road in front of The Burgage (camera to be reversed for either direction)
7. Croxton opposite The Highfields (camera to be reversed for either direction)

Unfortunately, Staffordshire Council guidelines for placing of community speed signage has specified locations within 30mph zones only, so the proposed Slindon sites were not approved. This will be queried further by the committee at the meeting with the highways officers. It was noted that should the project be successful, additional locations can be added in due course.

The committee resolved to recommend approval for the locations proposed.

The Clerk outlined further options for the speed devices which included the consideration of purchasing solar powered devices. The use of battery devices may result in battery swaps every 10 days, which could prove costly if the Council are paying an external contractor for the service. As some units are to remain in place for a longer period of time and reversed to cover both directions of traffic, it further reduces the maintenance required. Solar units will result in an additional load of approximately 10kg and would consist of two parts – the speed unit and the solar panel. The solar panel would be sited around 12ft from the ground, above the speed device. The combination of the additional weight plus the additional working at height from the ground meant this option is not possible for Parish Councils with volunteers moving the units, but as Eccleshall Parish Council are planning to employ a contractor, as long as the contractor had appropriate insurances and equipment for working at height, this would not be an issue.

The solar option requires a pole diameter of at least 90mm to support the additional weight, which cannot be provided by the ground screw contractor. An alternative contractor is able to install 125 mm sleeves within which 90mm posts would need to be permanently concreted. Overall costs for solar units and permanent posts would be considerably less than the ground screw and battery powered options, bringing the costs in line with the grants provided. As 5 posts would be left bare at any one point, concerns were raised by Highways as to the visual impact. Ideas to mitigate this are under consideration, such as the use of alternative signage when units are not in place.
The committee resolved to recommend the purchase of solar units, subject to highways agreement on placement of permanent posts and alternative signage.
It was agreed that the Clerk draft up a job description to obtain contractor quotes, as sufficient information is now available on the locations and device specifications.

7). To provide an update on the Slindon Gateway project:- The gateways have now been installed.

8). Resident request for Parish support in requesting erection of signage to identify the hamlet of Sturbridge:- a resident had raised this via a councillor, advising signage used to be in place but had been removed. Members were not aware of previous signage in place and required clarification regarding the previous locations. The query will be added to the agenda for the meeting with Highways on the 6th June.

9). Correspondence:-
There was no update regarding parking issues along Highfields, Croxton
A resident had written to both Parish and County Councils detailing a number of concerns about roads and traffic in Eccleshall. The Council noted all the concerns raised, some of which were also being raised by the Parish Council separately. The committee resolved to respond to the resident to note their concerns, and to add the item to the highways meeting to obtain an update on its response to the issues raised.
Signage for Ginger Lane/bridleway. The bridleway can be mistaken for a road with drivers unfamiliar to the area who use satnav to navigate. Once down the track, cars can get stuck. To exacerbate the issue, the bridleway sign has fallen over. The Clerk has reported the broken sign via ‘report it’, and the issue will be raised at the highways meeting with a view to requesting additional signage. It was noted that the type of signage available would depend on whether the bridleway is listed as a ‘byway open to all traffic’.
A young resident has written about the lack of a footpath between Slindon and Eccleshall, to improve safety for pedestrians and young cyclists. Cllr. Leather had written a comprehensive response and the committee resolved to respond to support this response and note its concerns. Councillors commented that it was encouraging to have engagement from younger residents.
A response from Cllr. Pert had been received regarding the lack of available funds to contribute to a number of traffic concerns raised by the Parish Council. The letter was circulated to members and would be formally noted at the next Parish Council meeting.

10). Any other business:-
An oak post along High Street has been knocked over by a car. The Clerk has reported this to the County Council for rectification.
A councillor noted their concerns over a number of ongoing traffic issues including speed of traffic along Shaws Lane, a dangerous junction at the Burgage/Stone Road, and excessive volume and speed of traffic at the junction of Green Lane/Cross Butts/Newport Road. It was noted that a number of these issues are longstanding problems that have been raised with Highways numerous times and are not progressed due to a lack of funding.

11). Date of next meeting:- 3rd July, 2019, Eccleshall Community Centre at 7pm, preceding the meeting of the Planning Committee.
There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 7.45pm.