Archived decisions

Contact: Richard Chinn, tel: 023 80427000

1. Summary

1.1 This report covers the following programmes:

(i) Traffic Management and Traffic Regulation Orders;

(ii) Low Cost Casualty Reduction Schemes;

(iii) Street Lighting Community Safety Initiative;

(iv) Bridge Works;

(v) Intelligent Transport Systems;

(vi) Andover, Western Hampshire, South West Hampshire and New Forest Transport Strategy Schemes; and

(vii) Hampshire Country Towns.

2. Traffic Management and Traffic Regulation Order Programme

2.1 The programme for the revenue-funded traffic management schemes has been combined to include the former `island' area of Andover with the remainder of the Test Valley area. The current position is shown in Appendix 1, together with the list of jointly-funded Parish Partnership schemes.

3. Casualty Reduction Programme

3.1 The casualty reduction programme within Test Valley includes five schemes and an update on the current programme is included in Appendix 2.

3.2 An important element of the casualty reduction strategy is the expansion of the use of safety cameras on routes with a serious accident record. Hampshire Police, in partnership with the County Council and other Highway Authorities in Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight, will operate additional fixed and mobile cameras as part of the `netting off' system whereby fine revenue can be used to fund enforcement costs.

3.3 The sites and routes chosen are where there is a history of speed-related accidents. New fixed camera sites are being considered at the following locations:

(i) B3037 Bishopstoke Road, Eastleigh;

(ii) A35 Totton Causeway, New Forest;

(iii) A32 Gosport Road, Fareham;

(iv) Highlands Road, Fareham;

(v) Grange Road, Gosport; and

(vi) A337 Setley, New Forest.

3.4 New route sections for mobile camera operations are on the A30 at Hook and Blackwater and the A339 at Lasham. The 11 existing routes for mobile camera enforcement will continue. They have shown encouraging results so far, initial monitoring giving significant reductions in total casualties and particularly in speed-related accidents, which have reduced on average by over 30%.

4. Street Lighting - Community Safety Initiative

4.1 The 2002/03 programme was started early in the year with the objective of completing as many schemes as possible prior to the commencement of the dark evenings. Works have been completed in the following locations:

(i) Chilworth Road, Chilworth; and

(ii) Nutburn Road, North Baddesley.

Orders have been placed with the contractor for the remaining programmed schemes and work will start on-site as soon as possible (detailed below):

(iii) Rectory Lane, Penton Grafton;

(iv) Suffolk Road, Andover;

(v) Eastfield Road/London Road, Andover; and

(vi) Belmont Close, Andover.

A presentation will be made at the meeting on various street lighting items.

5. The Bridgeworks Programme

5.1 The Bridges Section is responsible for inspection and maintenance, load assessment and strengthening of all existing county highway structures, together with new structures built as part of road improvements, housing schemes and industrial developments. This includes 1,400 road bridges, 300 footbridges and numerous ancillary structures such as retaining walls and gantries.

5.2 The majority of bridge maintenance, assessment and strengthening is capital funded via the Local Transport Plan (LTP), but inspections, routine maintenance, footbridges and environmental maintenance of subways are revenue funded.

5.3 Bridge maintenance covers regular routine items, such as vegetation and drainage clearance, repairs to accidental damage, major and minor structural maintenance identified from the annual cycle of bridge inspections and environmental maintenance of subways. The latter includes graffiti removal and cleaning under a three year term contract with a firm called Graffiti Solutions. Raynesway Construction Southern Limited carries out the majority of other maintenance work, although some specialist or larger jobs go out to tender.

5.4 A programme of load assessment and strengthening was instigated by EU legislation that allowed 40 tonne lorries on British roads from 1 January 1999. The assessments are now complete and strengthening of sub-standard bridges is ongoing. There remain about 50 bridges subject to interim measures, such as weight limits or monitoring, that will be strengthened over the next five or six years, funding permitting.

5.5 Following the Selby crash in February 2001, parapets and safety fences at road/rail interfaces, mainly bridges, are being evaluated and prioritised with a view to establishing a rolling programme for protective measures.

5.6 There are several schemes within Test Valley in the 2002/03 programme:

(i) Lower Mill Bridge, Longparish:

This bridge carries Mill Lane, Longparish over the River Test and is at present subject to a temporary weight limit. Reconstruction by Dean and Dyball Limited started on 23 September 2002 and is expected to take 16 weeks. A road closure and signed diversion is in place, but pedestrian access along Mill Lane is being maintained.

(ii) Flood-damaged bridges:

Several bridges over the River Test suffered scour damage during the winter floods of 2000/01 and three of these are in this year's programme, with a fourth scheduled for 2003/04.

Abbey `B' bridge in Mottisfont Lane, Mottisfont and Black bridge in Mill Lane, Romsey have already been repaired by Raynesway Construction Southern Limited.

Work is ongoing, by contractors Sub Surface Engineering, on Kim bridge in Kimbridge Lane, with completion expected by December 2002.

Successful trials of suitable repair procedures have also been undertaken on Kim Humbert bridge, also in Kimbridge Lane, with the full-scale repairs programmed for September/October 2003.

(iii) Enham and London Road subways, Andover:

These two subways in Andover have been given new anti-graffiti coatings. This is in addition to the regular subway cleaning programme.

6. Intelligent Transport Systems Programme

6.1 The Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Group was formed in January 2000 and manages all aspects of traffic control and information systems throughout Hampshire. It is responsible for the policy, research, development, design, implementation and operation of all signals, traffic control and information systems in the county. This includes Pelican, Puffin and Toucan pedestrian and cycle crossings.

6.2 The group is located in Monument House in Winchester which houses the Urban Traffic Control (UTC) system from where it coordinates and controls traffic signals in Winchester, Eastleigh, Havant, Fareham, Gosport and Basingstoke through a central computer. This system not only controls traffic signals but also car parking information, priority facilities for emergency vehicles and specific priority for other vehicles such as buses. Remote monitoring is used to immediately detect faults in signal equipment in any part of the county, facilitating swift response times.

6.3 The ITS group is also responsible for the operation, management and fault reporting for the traffic control elements of the Motorway and Trunk Road network in Central Southern England, as part of the Area 3 Managing Agent Commission for the Highways Agency.

6.4 The Traffic and Travel Information Centre (TTIC) at Monument House is directly linked to the original TTIC in Southampton (ROMANSE project) and it collects, collates and disseminates information in a variety of ways. A number of individual systems have been developed and are currently in operation:

(i) STOPWATCH real-time bus passenger information system;

(ii) Variable Message Signs;

(iii) TRIPlanner information terminals for pre-trip planning; and

(iv) Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) for network monitoring.

Traffic and Travel information is passed to the media, Police and motoring organisations as well as being disseminated through the ROMANSE on-line website (www.romanse.org.uk). Existing systems are being extended and new technologies and systems are being researched to ensure an efficient sustainable transport system for Hampshire.

6.5 Works identified within the ITS Capital Programme in Test Valley for 2002/03 are:

(i) Weyhill Road, Andover - new Puffin crossing; and

(ii) Castle Lane/Templars Way, Knightwood - addition of pedestrian facilities (an externally funded scheme).

6.6 For 2003/04 there is one scheme: Cupernham Lane/Winchester Road, Romsey - new traffic signals.

6.7 There are no broader ITS works, traffic and travel information schemes planned for this year but there is an allocation in the 2005/06 programme for STOPWATCH and the Bus Departure Information System.

7. Andover, Western Hampshire, South West Hampshire and New Forest Transport Strategy Schemes

7.1 Other Local Transport Plan schemes in the Test Valley area which are part of the above transport strategies are set out in Appendix 3. As far as the New Forest Transport Strategy is concerned, there are no capital schemes programmed for 2002/03 for Test Valley.

8. Hampshire Country Towns Programme

8.1 The Hampshire Country Towns Initiative (HCTI) is a programme of environmental and highways-based improvements. Its aim is to achieve conservation, economic regeneration and environmental design objectives within rural town centres and make them more attractive and safer places in which to live and shop. Works identified in the approved HCTI programme include the following:

(i) Romsey Market Place - A contribution from the programme aims to help ensure high standards of design and materials in the proposed highways and environmental improvement scheme for the Market Place.

(ii) Church Place, Romsey - There is the opportunity to carry out highways and environmental enhancements in partnership with Test Valley Borough Council. The aim is to develop the tourist potential of this approach to the Abbey, improve the appearance of the nearby forecourt to the Social Services building (previously the Magistrates Court) and assist traffic calming and improving personal safety. This scheme is at an early stage of planning and will be the subject of future public consultation.

Recommendation

That the report be noted.

7502/RC

APPENDIX 3

Western Hampshire Transportation Strategy - Schemes

Capital Programme 2002/03 as at October 2002

South West Hampshire Transport Strategy - Schemes

Capital Programme 2002/03 as at October 2002

Andover Transportation Strategy - Schemes

Capital Programme 2002/03 as at October 2002