Archived decisions

Contact: Kevin Hamilton, ext 7348

1. Summary

1.1 This report details the results of monitoring of the traffic calming scheme in Elvetham Road, Fleet. The results show that the scheme has been successful in meeting the objectives, although some minor modifications to the layout may be required to improve conditions for cyclists.

2. Background

2.1 As a result of the development of Railroad Heath, now known as Elvetham Heath, a substantial package of transportation improvements was negotiated. Provision of traffic calming measures on Elvetham Road was seen as an integral part of this transportation package and a contribution of £125,000, specifically for `traffic management measures to the north of Fleet town centre', was provided by the developer.

2.2 The development was to provide a `spine road' which would become an alternative route for traffic travelling east-west on the northern edge of Fleet. In association with this, it was anticipated that traffic might reassign from Elvetham Road, therefore increasing the risk that general speeds on Elvetham Road would increase beyond the already unacceptable levels. In order to reduce this risk, whilst encouraging use of the new `spine road', it was decided to introduce traffic calming.

2.3 Surveys indicated that the 85%ile speeds on Elvetham Road ranged from 43 to 49 miles per hour (mph) at various points. These speeds were well in excess of the 30 mph speed limit.

2.4 The decision was taken early on in the design process to use kerb build-outs, as opposed to road humps or speed tables, to reduce the risk of adversely affecting bus passenger comfort and emergency service response times. Problems arose during the design process due to the large number of private accesses and the location of statutory undertakers' equipment in the road. These problems led to a reduced number of build-outs at the eastern end of the road.

2.5 To test public opinion, a public exhibition was held at Hart District Council offices in Fleet between 24 April and 4 May 2001, supplemented by a letter drop to 140 households on Elvetham Road and the adjoining culs-de-sac. In addition, press releases were issued to publicise the exhibition.

2.6 Visitors to the exhibition were invited to fill in a comment form and return it to the County Council. In total, 44 comment forms were returned, of which 24 were from people targeted in the letter drop. Out of the 44 respondents 25 (57%) supported the scheme. Of the 24 people living on or adjacent to Elvetham Road 19 (79%) supported the scheme.

2.7 Hart District Council and the emergency services were consulted and raised no objections to the scheme.

2.8 On this basis a project appraisal was considered by the former Roads and Development Sub-Committee on 24 July 2001 and the scheme approved for construction. For various reasons, construction works were delayed until January 2002 and work was completed in May 2002.

3. Public Reaction

3.1 Members will be aware that the scheme has generated a degree of adverse comment from the public in Fleet, although it should be noted that some local residents have written to support the scheme. A total of 28 letters/ emails have been received and numerous telephone calls commenting on the scheme. Of the letters, 24 were negative and 4 positive.

3.2 In view of the concerns, it was decided to carry out a monitoring exercise after six months of operation of the scheme.

4. Monitoring Results

Speeds

4.1 The primary objective of the traffic calming scheme was to reduce vehicle speeds on Elvetham Road to a level more in keeping with its status as a local distributor with a 30 mph speed limit. In order to assess whether the scheme has met this objective, surveys were carried out to measure vehicle speeds before and after the scheme was implemented.

4.2 The following table illustrates the changes in speeds on the road.

It can be seen that there has been a reduction in the 85%ile speed (the standard measure of vehicle speed) in the order of 8 mph. This reduction is significant and, on this basis, it is considered that the scheme has met the objective of reducing vehicle speeds.

Traffic Volumes

4.3 Unfortunately, no traffic flow data was collected between 1999 and the start of construction in 2002 and it is difficult therefore to assess the change in flows since the scheme was implemented. However, the data that is available indicates that traffic has increased by between 2% and 6%, depending on at which end of the road it is measured. This variation in flows along the length of the road may indicate that more traffic is turning off at Church Road, possibly to access the new health centre. For comparison, traffic on Fleet Road has increased by 2% over the same period.

Table 2 shows the changes in flows on Elvetham Road between 1999 and 2002.

Journey Times

4.4 To assess the effects of the scheme on journey times, timed runs were carried out during peak hours in July and October 2002. These runs involved officers driving at the prevailing traffic speeds and measuring the time taken to travel from one end of the road to the other. This was repeated every 20 minutes between 7 am and 9 am, and 4 pm and 6 pm. In total, 72 timed runs were completed. This data was then compared with the journey time based on a car travelling at 30 mph along the length of Elvetham Road (1.87 km). The table below shows the results:

* Before journey times estimated on the basis of a vehicle travelling at 30 mph (the maximum speed limit) along the unobstructed length of Elvetham Road.

4.5 The results show that journey times during the peak periods appear to have increased with the introduction of the traffic calming. However, it is considered that an average increase of approximately 30-40 seconds in the peak period journey time is acceptable, given the overall 8 mph reduction in the 85%ile speed. It is interesting to note that the average journey time of 175 seconds equates to an average speed of approximately 24 mph.

5. Congestion

5.1 Many critics of the scheme complained that severe congestion occurred at some of the build-outs. In order to assess whether this was indeed the case, officers monitored queue lengths at each build-out whilst carrying out the timed runs. The longest queue observed was nine cars at the westernmost build-out. The table below shows the maximum queues observed at each of the build-outs, together with the average queue lengths.

5.2 The method of observing the queues only gives an indication of the queuing which occurs at each build-out. For a more detailed and accurate analysis, it would be necessary to monitor the build-outs continuously throughout the peak periods which would be very resource intensive. Based on the observations already carried out, officers believe that the scheme appears to operate satisfactorily, although delays and queues have inevitably increased with the introduction of the scheme.

6. Accidents

6.1 The scheme was never intended to be an accident reduction scheme as there were only two personal injury accidents in the three year period up to its implementation. Between the scheme opening and the end of August 2002, there has been one personal injury accident. The accident rate will continue to be monitored, as the time elapsed since completion of the scheme is too short to draw any meaningful conclusions.

7. Cycling

7.1 Some criticism has been levelled at the scheme with regard to its effects on cycling. The main points of criticism are:

(i) cyclists are 'squeezed' at the build outs;

(ii) the running surface on the 'cycle bypasses' is poor;

(iii) there is debris on the 'cycle bypasses'; and

(iv) the 'cycle bypasses' are blocked by parked cars.

7.2 These issues are being investigated in detail by the County Council's Cycling Officer and, if necessary, some minor modifications may be made.

8. Conclusion

8.1 The traffic calming scheme on Elvetham Road, Fleet appears to have been successful in its main objective of reducing traffic speeds on the road. The increased journey times and delays to drivers using the road are an inevitable consequence of this form of traffic calming. However, the levels of delay are considered to be acceptable in light of the speed reduction achieved.

8.2 In view of this, it is considered appropriate to retain the scheme as built for the present time.

Recommendation

That this report be noted and the Executive Member for Environment be advised to retain the scheme in its current form, with some minor modifications to improve conditions for cyclists.

7491/KH