62 people attended a meeting on 16th August to collect ideas for how to reduce the speed of traffic through Hurstbourne Tarrant.  An Action Group Against Speeding (AGAS), which will report its progress to the Parish Council, was formed, which will investigate the ideas for feasibility, costing, funding and implementation.

Rupert Conder, who chaired the meeting, said he had received several letters and emails supporting this initiative and thanked those attending.  Traffic volume is predicted to grow by another 50% over the next 25 years.  Heavier lorries are using the A343 and it appears to have become a rat run for many commuters.  Vehicles are regularly exceeding the 30mph speed limit.  National statistics show that 80% of people hit by a vehicle travelling at 40mph die, whereas 80% of people hit by a vehicle travelling at 30mph survive.  The aim is to ensure that we never have any road traffic casualties in our village caused by drivers going too fast.

The aim of the Action Group Against Speeding:

To protect life and to improve the ambience of our village by reducing the impact of the danger and noise of speeding vehicles.

SAFER ROUTE TO SCHOOLS

The chairman said that he had spoken to a representative of Mott Gifford, the consultants in the Safe Route to Schools initiative who had produced a draft proposal, as this has yet to be put to the Parish Council and those residents affected by it for approval.  It was not available for circulation, but in outline the plan proposes to introduce three uncontrolled crossing points with timber bollards at the main points where school children cross the Ibthorpe Road, the A343 and Church Street and extends the pavement at the four corners of The Square. 

AREAS TO  BE ADDRESSED

The chairman said that there are 3 areas to be addressed.  Firstly, to make more drivers aware that they are in or are approaching a 30mph zone.  Secondly, to make it more difficult for vehicles to exceed the speed limit by traffic calming measures, and thirdly, for those who choose to ignore these measures by enforcing the speed limit.

AWARENESS

Some of the suggestions to make drivers more aware they are in a limited speed zone have been:

• To fix 30mph stickers on dustbins

• 30mph t-shirts for children

• larger rumble strips at all entrances to the village

• more repeater signs, possibly every 50 yards

• large vehicle activated signs (some of the more complex signs can display the actual speed and vehicle registration of the speeding vehicle)

• gateway signs

• better road markings

• coloured surfaces

• erecting warning signs such as at Tidworth - "penalty points available here" "speeding still carried the death penalty".

TRAFFIC CALMING

Some of the suggestions for traffic calming have been:

• pinch points

• building a pavement from Gaydon House to the Post Office

• building out the pavements around the Square (as proposed in the Safe Route to School)

• reducing the width of the bridge by making a pavement and / or reducing the weight limit on it

• a roundabout at the Netherton Road junction (very strongly supported)

• chicane parking

• traffic camera logos with or without a fake camera

• priority single carriageway at village entry points

• to remove all road markings including the central lines to induce uncertainty

• making the road appear narrower by painting verge lines closer to the centre

ENFORCEMENT

For drivers who persist in speeding despite traffic calming measures, we need enforcement such as:

• average speed cameras (cameras which record the time of entry into the village and the time of exit and calculate the average speed). But with four entry points to the village this may not be practical or affordable

• reporting infringing vehicles to police by phoning them on 101 reporting the vehicle number, date and time and place.

• Get HCC to provide traffic speed and volume recording devices to gather data for our case

• Get some residents trained on the use of hand-held speed cameras which are provided by the police

OTHER IDEAS

• Keep the pavements clear of grass to make them wider

• Cut back hedges to ensure the repeater signs are clearly seen and children going to school are not forced closer to the road

• Park cars on the road (not the pavement and not obstructing the carriageway)

• Divert heavy lorries away from the A343 through signage at Andover (as is in existence currently in Newbury)

• Report speeding coaches to the people who award the contract for taking children to school

• Change the road surface so that it is less noisy

• 20 mph limit by the school and through the Square

• 40 mph limit to the top of both hills and along Stoke Road to Stoke

• All villages along the A343 be reduced to 30 mph

The chairman has asked that everyone report all evidence of the impact of traffic speed - for example, a list of damage done to people, property or vehicles; any near misses in terms of accidents.  There have already been several accidents at the Netherton junction and one fatal accident.