Contact: Debbie Vaughan, ext no 7330, email: debbie@hants.gov.uk

1. Summary

1.1 The following decisions were made:

1.2 Cabinet resolved the following in respect of traffic management solutions for Lyndhurst:

A Hampshire County Council should exercise whatever influence it can, either in its own right, or in partnership with other County Councils, to ensure that manufacturers of satellite navigation systems include road restriction information.

B Given current information from Lyndhurst traffic surveys that a large percentage of vehicles are local as opposed to through traffic, the review group would wish to see exploratory work on the potential for smarter travel choices in Lyndhurst reducing the need to travel by private car.

C As a short term measure, Hampshire County Council should seek the cooperation of the Highways Agency to make the signage on the M27 and at Cadnam directed at Heavy Goods Vehicles more explicit regarding restrictions on accessing Lyndhurst, except for lorries making local deliveries.

D Hampshire County Council should use its influence, together with partners, to support a review of the level of penalty fine for HGVs contravening the lorry restrictions to enhance its effect, and to ensure greater efforts are made by the police to enforce the restrictions.

E Hampshire County Council should put in place a communication plan which would make it clear to people what information they can expect to receive at different stages of the work to resolve Lyndhurst's traffic problems, and how they can contribute to and inform this process.

F Outcomes from the planned Hampshire County Council led local engagement, and the further consideration of options identified in the 2007 Study Report should be communicated to the Environment and Transportation Select Committee in summer 2008 as part of the scrutiny monitoring work of the committee.

G The review group recommends further trialling of the use of variable message signs on the M27 to direct drivers away from congestion hot spots in the New Forest such as Lyndhurst and routeing tourists to park and ride pick up points for the New Forest open top tourist bus.

H Hampshire County Council should prioritise New Forest wide approaches to traffic management with a view to known hot-spots such as Lyndhurst benefiting from such measures.

I In the light of viability and deliverability issues examined, the review group could not support the prioritisation of either a Lyndhurst focused bypass or a New Forest wide bypass at the present time. Concerns are those connected with the costs over benefits, as well as those relating to environmental impacts, given the stringent tests associated with an Appropriate Assessment under the Habitat Regulations, the potential adverse effects identified and the range of alternative measures that would be likely to have lesser environmental effect than a bypass, and have yet to be tested.

J The Cabinet does not support the further exploration of the two package options namely 7a and 7b, but does support the lower cost option of demand management measures, such as junction improvements, one way system revisions etc. in the village, as identified by Hampshire County Council/Mott Gifford.

1.3 Cabinet received and noted the conclusions of the Mott MacDonald Lyndhurst Transport Study Report - Peer Review .

2. Reason

2.1 Lyndhurst has long suffered from localised congestion, largely due to the constrained road network where a local bottleneck is created at the intersection of the A35 and A337 in the High Street. The scrutiny review report details a number of options for consideration and the Director of Environment's report seeks Members' views on a future approach to investment in traffic relief/environmental enhancement measures for Lyndhurst.

3. Other options considered and rejected

3.1 A range of traffic interventions to address the current problems have been fully evaluated and the findings and are set out in the supporting reports.

4. Conflicts of interest declared by the decision maker or other Executive Member consulted - none.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent - not applicable.

Approved by: Date:

Councillor T.K. Thornber, C.B.E. Chairman