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Traffic Calming Committee
Note: All minutes are posted below on the one page. -------------------------- Draft Minutes of the Meeting of the Traffic Calming Committee held on Thursday 24 June 2010 at 7.00pm in the Management Centre, St Bees School PRESENT: Cllr D Millington (in the Chair),Mrs K Armstrong, Mr I Armstrong, Mr A Hurst, Cllr F Kennedy, Mr J Kennedy, Mrs J King, Cllr S Moules, Cllr D Sim, Mr G Stokes, and the Clerk In attendance : Mr Kevin Cosgrove, Traffic Engineer, Capita Symonds T18/10 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies for absence were received from Mr S Pearson and Mr R Stout
T19/10 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST No declarations of interest were received from councillors.
T20/10 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting on 25 May be accepted as a true record.
T21/10 TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF PROPOSED MEASURES The Chairman welcomed Mr Cosgrove to the meeting and explained the background to the formation of the committee and the initial focus on the section of the B5345 between the level crossing and the Abbey Rd junction together with Abbey Rd/Station Rd. He explained that the school entrance at which the fatal accident had occurred was no longer in use for vehicular traffic and the committee had looked at wider safety issues at four locations and wished to discuss the technical feasibility of the traffic calming measures which the committee had identified. Mr Cosgrove explained that there was funding agreed for an assessment of possible safety measures but there was no guarantee that funding would be available for implementation of these measures. He had visited the locations under discussion and had seen some of the issues. He would be happy to offer preliminary thoughts during the discussion but explained that detailed assessment would need to take place before a formal response could be given. Committee members then explained the hazards and possible measures suggested for each of the four locations: (a) Zone A (area around Barony House) The main concern was for the safety of pedestrians crossing the road at the kissing gate opposite Barony House. The crossing point is used by school pupils throughout the day. The visibility from the school side of the road is very poor and there is no pavement on that side of the road. The pavement by Barony House is very narrow with a dropped kerb. Traffic speeds are also a matter of concern. The possible measures which the committee had identified were: Chicane – this would reduce the road to one vehicle width, slowing traffic speeds and providing a better stepping off point for children crossing the road. Mr Cosgrove explained that a chicane might be feasible and would improve pedestrian safety. However, there would need to be a priority system in place and it would be necessary to undertake a detailed assessment of traffic flows to determine whether this would create problems of traffic backing up south to the level crossing or north towards the bends. Raised crossing – this would slow traffic and increase driver awareness of children crossing but would not improve visibility or the problem of no/narrow pavements. Mr Cosgrove suggested that any engineered feature was unlikely to be feasible because of the narrow width of the road at that point. An assessment of pedestrian numbers would also be needed to justify any type of crossing. A school crossing patrol at peak times might be a possibility but this would not be a solution when children were crossing the road throughout the day. Slowing traffic on the approach to the crossing point would be the best solution. Consideration could be given to improved signage but current guidance was that highways authorities should be reducing road signs rather than installing more.
(b) Zone B1 ( Abbey Road junction) The main problem at this location is traffic from the Whitehaven direction turning right into Abbey Road. Many drivers do not position themselves correctly and make the turn without a clear view of traffic coming up the hill from the village. The speed surveys undertaken before and after the removal of the 20mph limit show that a high percentage of vehicles heading south are travelling in excess of 30mph as they enter the village. The possible measures identified by the committee were: Rumble strips – these would slow traffic entering the village and ensure vehicles were travelling at a more appropriate speed before reaching the junction. Mr Cosgrove agreed that rumble strips and gateway features might be appropriate in this location. Different heights of strip were possible depending on an assessment of the problem. Mirror - this would aid visibility for drivers turning right into Abbey Rd. Mr Cosgrove explained that mirrors were generally not recommended and Dept of Transport approval has to be sought for mirrors to be placed on highways land. A mirror could be placed on private land with the owner’s agreement but this would still need approval by Cumbria Highways.
(c) Zone B2 (area around Wood Lane junction) The main problem at this location is the difficult right turn into Wood Lane for traffic travelling north through the village. It is possible to see traffic coming down the hill if the vehicle is correctly positioned on the crown of the bend but traffic travelling south often speeds up after the Abbey Rd junction and sometimes vehicles move towards the centre of the road. The measures proposed by the committee were: Rumble strips –it was proposed that these could be positioned right across the carriageway by the old barn to slow southbound traffic approaching the Wood Lane junction and also to slow northbound traffic approaching the Abbey Rd junction. Mr Cosgrove said that his initial impression was that rumble strips would not be needed at this location if strips were placed at the village entrance to slow the speed of traffic coming into the village. However, he would look at this again in light of reports of traffic speeding up after the Abbey Road junction. Signage – a sign could be erected warning southbound drivers of traffic turning right into Wood Lane. Mr Cosgrove stated that there was no standard sign which could be used in this location and it was not Highways policy to sign private roads. Current guidance was to reduce signage wherever possible. Mr Cosgrove suggested that it might be possible to reposition the road markings to help improve visibility for right-turning traffic and this could be investigated.
(d) Zone C (War Memorial and Station Road junction) The pavement by the war memorial was very narrow and there was no pavement on the Beck Edge side of the junction. Pedestrians had nowhere to stand safely whilst waiting to cross Station Road. There is a footbridge over the beck on the other sign of the road but no signage to encourage pedestrians to use it. The three proposals for this area were: Signage to footbridge – this would encourage pedestrians to use the footbridge rather than the narrow pavement. Mr Cosgrove stated that it was unlikely that Highways would fund such a sign and most local people would already know that the bridge was available. Raised crossing – this would be located by the bridge and would slow traffic as well as aiding pedestrians. Mr Cosgrove believed that this would not be necessary as there are already speed humps on this section. Rumble strips - these could be located on the B5345 and also on Station Rd to slow traffic approaching the junction. Mr Cosgrove stated that there was probably no need for strips on Station Rd but he could consider whether they would be appropriate on the B5345. He suggested that clearer road markings at the junction would help to reduce traffic speeds and some changes could be made to the lay-out of the junction to extend the pavement around the war memorial.
(e) Other Issues Signage – Mr Cosgrove explained the current policy of reducing the number of road signs wherever possible. However, existing signs could be redesigned or highlighted to increase driver awareness and this might be an option for the school signs. Flashing lights controlled by timers could be used on school signs but these might not be suitable at locations such as Barony House where children were crossing throughout the day rather than just at the beginning and end of the school day. Speed limits – Current legislation requires that there are traffic calming features every 150m before an enforceable 20 mph limit can be imposed. The Transport Select Committee recently recommended that more 20mph limits should be imposed in built up areas and the Local Committee had decided to await a decision from government on whether regulations were to be changed. Speed humps - it was suggested that the first speed hump on Abbey Road was too far from the junction with the B5345. Mr Cosgrove explained that any changes would require a modification of the order and this could be a lengthy process requiring consultation. No parking restriction – it was suggested that yellow lines might be appropriate on the section of the B5345 between Abbey Rd and Wood Lane. Mr Cosgrove explained that this would require a formal order and would not be considered if there were only occasional instances of inappropriate parking.
Mr Cosgrove undertook to consider the proposals which had been put forward by the committee. The Chairman thanked Mr Cosgrove for attending the meeting and explained that the committee would be making a recommendation to the Parish Council in July and this would then be taken up formally with Highways with a view to discussion at the Local Committee in the autumn.
T22/10 RECOMMENDATION TO PARISH COUNCIL The proposed measures were discussed in light of the comments of the Traffic Engineer. It was agreed that the following measures be recommended to the Parish Council for further discussion with Cumbria County Council:- Zone A (Barony House)
Zone B1 ( Abbey Rd junction)
Zone B2 ( Wood Lane junction)
Zone C (War memorial)
T23/10 DATE & TIME OF NEXT MEETING No date was set for the next meeting of the committee. The committee’s recommendations would be discussed by the Parish Council at its meeting on 19 July and committee members would be welcome to attend and help in presenting the committee’s report. ---------------------------2011----------------------------- Draft Minutes of the Meeting of the Traffic Calming Committee held on Wednesday 12 January 2011 at 7.00pm in the Management Centre, St Bees School PRESENT: Cllr D Millington (in the Chair),Cllr F Kennedy, Mr J Kennedy, Mr G Stokes, Mr R Stout, Mr J Wylie and the Clerk In attendance : Mr K Melville and Mr K Cosgrove, Cumbria Highways T1/11 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies for absence were received from Mrs J King, Mr F Morgan, Mr S Moules, Mr J Robinson and Mr D Southward
T2/11 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting on 7 December 2010 be accepted as a true record and signed by the Chairman.
T3/11 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES There were no matters arising from the minutes.
T4/11 OVERVIEW OF PROGRESS TO DATE The Chairman reminded members of the progress to date. At the meeting on 2 December the measures to be included in the report to the Local Committee for three of the four areas under consideration had been agreed as follows:-
Mr Cosgrove explained that he had contacted the Dept for Transport to discuss a possible application for countdown markers at the northern entrance to the village. Current guidance did not support the use of countdown markers in this type of situation and the advice received was that an application at this stage was unlikely to be approved. Mr Cosgrove suggested that the situation be monitored after the installation of the gateway features and if necessary an application could be made at a later stage.
T5/11 BARONY HOUSE AREA Representatives of the three bodies involved in funding an agreed scheme (CCC, St Bees School and the Parish Council) had met to look in detail at possible schemes. Four schemes had been discussed and one option had been chosen for recommendation to this committee. Mr Cosgrove explained the details of the scheme which would have a give way priority system and would provide a shallow island near to the kissing gate to give a stepping off point and better visibility for pedestrians crossing. After some discussion Highways were recommending that priority would be given to traffic travelling from the south. Some concerns were expressed about the possibility of traffic backing up on the bends towards Wood Lane. Mr Cosgrove explained that signage would be provided to warn south-bound drivers of possible stationary traffic. At present there were no plans to restrict parking by the Priory. Any restrictions would require a legal order which would take some time and delay implementation of the scheme. It was felt that it would be more appropriate to monitor the situation following implementation of the scheme and consider parking restrictions, if required, at that stage. It was agreed that this scheme be included in the report to be put to the Local Committee and that the substance of the report be agreed, subject to any minor amendments once the final version was received.
T6/11 COSTINGS Mr Melville gave provisional costings for the measures to be included in the report. The gateway features were expected to cost approx £4000 and the scheme for Barony House £17,000 - £25,000 depending on the work required to provide electrical connections for the signs. The Chairman explained that the Parish Council had agreed to contribute £1500, subject to approval of the final scheme, and St Bees School had also agreed to make a contribution. The Parish Council
597 would provide written confirmation of its offer of financial support following the meeting of the council on 17 January.
T7/11 NEXT STEPS The report would be discussed at the meeting of the Local Committee at the end of January. The final draft would be circulated to members as soon as possible and the Clerk would forward any amendments to Mr Cosgrove by Tuesday 18 January. It was noted that the drawing of the priority scheme needed to be amended and Mr Cosgrove agreed to provide a revised copy. If the report was accepted by the Local Committee implementation of the measures would be dependent on funding being available. The CCC budget position was still uncertain and Mr Melville would provide further information following the meeting of the Local Committee. Mr Melville had discussed the possibility of a bid to the neighbourhood forum with the officers concerned but it was not felt that a bid would be appropriate.
T8/11 ANY OTHER BUSINESS At an earlier meeting the question of 20mph zones around schools had been discussed. In Scotland speed limits of this type operated only at school times. Mr Cosgrove believed that national guidance in England was still being reviewed but he agreed to follow this up and forward any information available.
T9/11 DATE OF NEXT MEETING It was agreed that the next meeting of the committee take place on Tuesday 18 January 2011 at 7.00pm in the Village Hall.
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Minutes of the Meeting of the Traffic Calming Committee held on Monday 28 March 2011 at 7.00pm in the Management Centre, St Bees School PRESENT: Cllr D Millington (in the Chair), Mr T Hughes,Cllr F Kennedy, Mr P Knotter, Cllr S Moules, Mr N Smart, Mr G Stokes, Mr J Wylie and the Clerk In attendance : Mr H Rooms (Sellafield Ltd), Mr K Cosgrove, Traffic Engineer T20/11 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies for absence were received from Mrs J King, Mr J Kennedy, Mr J Robinson and Cllr D Sim
T21/11 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting on 18 January 2011 be accepted as a true record and signed by the Chairman.
T22/11 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES There were no matters arising from the minutes.
T23/11 CHAIRMAN’S OPENING REMARKS The Chairman welcomed Howard Rooms and Kevin Cosgrove to the meeting and gave a brief report on progress with the proposals for the area around Barony House and the northern entrance to the village. The County Council Local Committee had accepted the recommendations in Mr Melville’s report and funds had been allocated for the work with contributions also being made by St Bees School and the Parish Council. The work was likely to take place over the summer months.
T24/11 THE SELLAFIELD PERSPECTIVE Mr Rooms gave an update on the actions which Ms Williams had agreed to take forward following the last meeting.
It was suggested that this message had not reached contractors working on site and Mr Rooms agreed to circulate the message again and provide a copy to the Clerk for information.
It was agreed that Mr Rooms would check on the insurance valuation of the SID and the Clerk would ascertain from the Parish Council’s insurers whether it could be covered by the council’s insurance whilst on loan. Mr Rooms would also provide details of the appropriate police contact for the Cold Fell SIDs. Mr Cosgrove suggested that an alternative approach might be for the parish council to buy/borrow a speed gun and arrange for volunteers to be trained in its use. In answer to questions Mr Rooms said that he did not think the company would be in a position to ‘name and shame’ employees observed speeding on the way to/from work.
The Chairman thanked Mr Rooms for attending the meeting and Mr Rooms then left the meeting.
T25/11 OPTIONS FOR OUTRIGG/FAIRLADIES (a) Outrigg Discussion took place with Mr Cosgrove about the various options which had been suggested for the Outrigg area. It was noted that any extension of the yellow school markings would require a Traffic Regulation Order and any parking restrictions would need enforcement if they were to be 615 effective. Additional parking restrictions would also result in parking in other areas and this would need to be considered. Red box-type markings were suggested but Mr Cosgrove was not aware of any in this area and believed they would require Dept of Transport approval. The possibility of creating a pavement was discussed. The standard width of a new pavement was 1.8m and the road might not be wide enough to allow this. Mr Cosgrove agreed to look at the possibility of gateway features at the top of the hill and also at the signage for the school entrance. Mr Wylie agreed to provide some photographs of the type of signage used in Scotland for information.. He also agreed to have the existing markings repainted as a short term measure. It was agreed that Mr Cosgrove would carry out a site visit to look at the problems and would liaise with the Clerk to arrange a suitable date. He would then report back to the next meeting on the viability of extending the hatched area, installing gateway features, creating a pavement and improving signage around the school. (b) Fairladies The problem of the school bus blocking the roundabout was discussed. Mr Cosgrove advised that the costs of changing the roundabout would be prohibitive and other options would need to be explored. It was agreed that the Clerk would contact the county council to find out which company provided the bus and would then contact the bus company. There were problems of limited visibility for traffic turning right from Fairladies which were made worse because of traffic speeding up as it left the village and traffic surveys had shown that the speed of traffic entering the village from the south was a problem. Mr Cosgrove agreed to speak to the police about more enforcement at this location and it was agreed that the Parish Council would support this. It was suggested that bringing the roundabout into the main carriageway would have the effect of slowing traffic but this would costly. Mr Cosgrove would arrange to visit the site and look at the problems and possible solutions and report back to the next meeting.
T26/11 NEXT STEPS It was agreed that a further meeting would take place following Mr Cosgrove’s site visit to discuss his recommendations and consider funding options.
T27/11 ANY OTHER BUSINESS A local resident had raised concerns that the noise of traffic crossing the proposed rumble strips at the northern entrance to the village could frighten horses. Mr Cosgrove stated that the guidance notes made no reference to any problem of this type and he was not aware of any problems in other areas. Mr Cosgrove confirmed that a new ‘ST BEES’ sign would be provided as part of the new gateway features.
T28/11 DATE OF NEXT MEETING It was agreed that the next meeting of the committee take place in April on a date to be agreed. ---------------------------------------- Draft Minutes of the Meeting of the Traffic Calming Committee held on Thursday 21 April 2011 at 6.30pm in the Management Centre, St Bees School PRESENT: Cllr D Millington (in the Chair),Cllr F Kennedy, Cllr S Moules, Mr G Stokes, Mr J Wylie and the Clerk In attendance : Mr K Cosgrove, Traffic Engineer T29/11 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies for absence were received from Mr J Kennedy, Mr J Robinson, Cllr D Sim and Mr R Stout.
T30/11 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting on 28 March 2011 be accepted as a true record and signed by the Chairman.
T31/11 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES There were no matters arising from the minutes.
T32/11 UPDATE ON ISSUES RAISED WITH SELLAFIELD
T33/11 OPTIONS FOR OUTRIGG/FAIRLADIES Mr Cosgrove presented his conclusions following a site visit to both Outrigg and Fairladies to look at the feasibility and costings for the various options considered at the last meeting. (a) Outrigg
The issue of enforceable 20mph zones and 20mph limits was discussed. Mr Cosgrove explained that a 20mph zone required traffic calming features every 80-100m. A 20mph limit required terminal signage and repeater signs at regular intervals. Mr Cosgrove had not been involved with the decision to remove the 20mph limit in St Bees but would speak to the Area Engineer and Cllr Southward about the background to ascertain whether a 20mph zone or limit might be possible in certain areas.
(b) Fairladies Mr Cosgrove agreed that there was a serious speeding issue in this area. Enforcement of the speed limit would probably produce a significant improvement but engineering solutions were possible:- 621
Cllr Moules questioned whether the cost could be reduced by using different types of speed humps. Mr Cosgrove said this might be possible but any design would need to be approved by CCC.
The problem of the restricted visibility when leaving the Fairladies estate and the issue of the bus blocking the roundabout were discussed. The Clerk had written to the bus company asking them to instruct drivers to park more considerately but no reply had yet been received. Mr Cosgrove was looking at the design of the roundabout with colleagues in Highways as there were clearly visibility problems. Mr Cosgrove offered to speak to county council colleagues about the possibility of the bus pulling into the turning circle to drop off in the afternoon to avoid children having to cross the road. Mr Wylie agreed to take photographs of the school bus parking in the turning circle to support discussions with the bus company.
T34/11 FUNDING Mr Cosgrove reported that, as the measures at Barony House and the northern entrance to the village were to be funded from the Highways budget, it was unlikely that further funding would be available from the County Council during this year. It was agreed to postpone possible funding applications until a final decision was made on the most appropriate options for other areas. It was noted that the Parish Council had been invoiced for its contribution to the Barony House scheme. Mr Cosgrove agreed to check whether the contribution offered by the school would also be required or whether this might be available for measures in other parts of the village.
T35/11 NEXT STEPS Mr Cosgrove undertook
T36/11 ANY OTHER BUSINESS (a) Mr Cosgrove reported that work to install the chicane by Barony House would take place in July/August and it was likely that the gateway features at the northern entrance to the village would be installed at the same time. The Chairman asked Mr Cosgrove to provide an A4 size plan of the proposed chicane which could be made available to interested residents together with details of the gateway signage. (b) The Chairman drew attention to the concern raised at a previous Annual Parish Meeting that wing mirrors on passing lorries posed a hazard to children waiting to cross outside Barony House. Mr Stokes and Mr Cosgrove agreed that the measures agreed for Barony House would eliminate this hazard.
T37/11 DATE OF NEXT MEETING It was agreed that the next meeting of the committee take place in June on a date to be agreed.
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