Petition - Pedestrian Crossing on Christchurch Road

Thank you for your recent petition.

Traffic speed enforcement, including that carried out by camera, is the responsibility of the Police. Where you are concerned that traffic is travelling appreciably higher than the speed limit then I recommend that you report your concerns directly to the Police who will consider the appropriate level of enforcement for this location. I have attached a link to their web site where you can report your concerns as a non-urgent matter. https://www.hampshire.police.uk/  Road safety posters aimed at highlighting the 30mph speed limit have been applied to Christchurch Road to support Police enforcement.

In general traffic calming measures are only considered to address issues of excessive traffic speed with a related road casualty history. Aside from the availability of funding there are several factors that must be considered including the type and level of traffic needing to use the route, the road casualty collision history, the level of fronting development and access needs, as well as the community support and site suitability. It is important to take account of the impact that measures may have on a community, such as localised congestion, the reduction in on street parking and the potential delay that may be caused to the emergency services, and the impact on public transport timetables. For these reasons physical traffic calming measures are generally not suitable on main routes that connect town centres, such as Christchurch Road.

Future development in this area has not currently been submitted for planning consent. However it is likely, subject to future planning approval, that related highway works will be considered and may include measures aimed at improving facilities for pedestrians.

The County Council’s resources for traffic and safety are primarily focussed on road casualty reduction as the highest priority, targeting measures at locations where there are treatable recurring patterns or clusters of reported injury accidents. Demand for traffic management measures countywide is considerable and our finite resources mean that careful prioritisation must take place to ensure that we can deliver the most benefit in terms reducing road casualties. I’m afraid, with no recurring history of speed related or pedestrian collisions, that Christchurch Road is a lower priority and no further action is planned at this time. The County Council does promote an initiative that enables Parish Councils’ and community groups to fund minor and straightforward traffic management measures, such as informal crossing points. The Safer Roads team will be happy to provide further information on this initiative if it is of interest.

I appreciate this will not be the response you were hoping for, but I hope this explains the Council’s position.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Russell Oppenheimer
Executive Member for Highways Operations