Petition - Traffic on the Calshot Road, Fawley By Pass

Thank you for your letter dated 29th May 2018 and enclosed petition regarding vehicular noise from the Calshot Road.

Road noise is a complex and emotive subject and legislation, guidance and advice is not prescriptive. Traffic noise is expressly excluded from Part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which means the County Council has no direct responsibility in relation to road noise on existing roads. Whilst there is no legal limit to road noise, levels are taken into account when new roads are planned.

With regard to your request for speed cameras, then this would be a matter for Hampshire Constabulary as the police are the enforcement authority for speeding and other moving traffic offences. The County Council has no powers to undertake enforcement itself. Experience elsewhere with reported motorcycle noise suggests that the nuisance is not necessarily related directly to speed, but linked with acceleration and deceleration, and with the exhaust and silencer system fitted to the machine. There are rules governing noise emission on the manufacturing and sale of motorcycles, but after-market systems are available that may affect noise. Again, the police would be the enforcement authority where regulations are breached, although detecting non-compliant silencers and subsequently testing motorcycles to prove exceedance levels may not be straightforward or indeed feasible. Much of the nuisance is likely to arise from the way the motorcycle is ridden. Again, the police may be able to take action where a motorcycle is ridden in such a manner as to cause excessive noise which could have been avoided by the exercise of reasonable care on the part of the rider. For this reason I recommend that you make your comments directly to them for consideration.

Fawley Quarry is subject to planning consent which limits the sites operations to daytime hours in the main. Activity early in the morning and late at night can be reported to the New Forest National Park who are the planning authority in this case.

Thank you again for contacting us.

Regards

Councillor Rob Humby
Executive Member for Environment and Transport
Hampshire County Council
The Castle
Winchester