Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Environment

23 July 2003

Project Appraisal: Worting Road/Penrith Road/Sarum Hill/Essex Road, Basingstoke - pedestrian facilities and carriageway resurfacing

Report of the Director of Environment

Item 8

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE MEMBER - ENVIRONMENT

PROJECT APPRAISAL

PROJECT:

WORTING ROAD/PENRITH ROAD/SARUM HILL/

ESSEX ROAD, BASINGSTOKE - PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES AND CARRIAGEWAY RESURFACING

COMMENCEMENT DATE:

JULY 2003

COMPLETION DATE:

SEPTEMBER 2003

PLANNED YEAR OF START IN ACCORDANCE WITH CAPITAL PROGRAMME: 2003/04

1.

FINANCE (Client Department, Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services [Estates Practice] and County Treasurer)

Current

Capital

Estimate

Programme

(at July 03

(at July 03

prices)

prices)

Capital Expenditure

£'000

£'000

Land to be purchased

0

0

Construction

144

144

Fees

21

21

165

165

Less developers/

135

135

other contributions

30

30

Financial provision for total scheme

Total Cost

1.

From Committees own resources

(a) Capital Programme

135

(b) Highways Maintenance

30

165

2.

From other resources

(a)

(b)

(c)

TOTAL

165

Value of land for this project in HCC ownership £ nil

Variations from capital programme

Revenue implications

£'000

% variation

to Committee's

budget

Net current expenditure

2.5

0.003

Capital charges

17.0

0.018

TOTAL net expenditure

19.5

0.021

2.

STATEMENT OF NEED/JUSTIFICATION FOR PROJECT

(Client Department)

The County Council has made clear its intention of improving conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users with the aim of providing more travel choice. The Hampshire Local Transport Plan (LTP) 2001-2006 clarifies this objective and sets it within a balanced strategy for improving the county's transport systems. The need to provide safe and convenient walking routes is particularly important in urban situations where a range of local facilities can be easily reached on foot.

An assessment of the existing carriageway in the vicinity of the junction on Worting Road, Penrith Road and Sarum Hill has indicated that it is in a poor state of repair. The site (see attached location plan) has been identified in the top 10 listing for resurfacing work in Basingstoke.

A pedestrian survey undertaken in September 2000 indicated that for the four busiest hours throughout the day an average of 400 pedestrians crossed at least one arm of the junction. The existing crossing facilities for pedestrians are poor and pedestrians cross during gaps in the traffic or during clearance periods between different traffic movements. The widths of the crossings are narrow and do not include textured paving. The footway on the corner of Worting Road and Essex Road is narrow with little waiting area for pedestrians.

The proposed improvements will provide safe crossing facilities for pedestrians to cross the junction. The scheme has been identified in the County Council's Capital Programme 2003/04. The scheme was noted at the Basingstoke Highways Management Panel where it was well received.

3.

ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROPOSAL (Client Department)

National/County Network and Policies

The proposals are consistent with the policy aims and objectives of the Basingstoke Environmental Strategy for Transport. In addition to the traffic management improvements, pedestrians and cyclists will particularly benefit from the facilities that are proposed. The introduction of pedestrian crossings at the junction will lead to increased delays for road users. The level of queues will depend on the number of occasions that the crossings are utilised and the time required by pedestrians to cross. However it is predicted that the additional delay with be relatively low. During periods of peak traffic flows the increase in queueing may double although the queues on Sarum Hill and Worting Road would be less than 10 vehicles on most occasions. The queues on Penrith Road and Essex Road would be less than five vehicles. It should be noted that this represents a worst case situation of the crossing being demanded every cycle. Even under these conditions vehicles are expected to clear the signals during each green time. The County Council aims to encourage modal shift from private car to other, more sustainable forms of transport, especially for short journeys and school trips. This scheme will help to achieve this.

Details of Scheme and Design Standards

It is proposed to undertake carriageway resurfacing work on all four approaches to the signals and throughout the junction. In addition anti-skid surfacing will be installed on all approaches to improve safety. The footway on the corner of Worting Road and Essex Road will be built-out to provide an increased waiting area for pedestrians. This measure will not affect traffic movements as the existing left turn prohibition from Worting Road into Essex Road will remain.

The scheme will include on-road cycle lanes on Worting Road, Penrith Road and Sarum Hill approaches to the junction. These facilities will assist cyclists in passing waiting vehicles and in negotiating the junction safely. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council requested that an on-road cycle lane was provided on Essex Road. However, the carriageway width is too narrow to provide an on-road cycle lane which precludes an advanced stop line being provided for cyclists on Essex Road.

Signal controlled pedestrian crossings will be provided across all four arms of the junction. Push buttons will demand an all red stage during which pedestrians may cross. Nearside pedestrian signals incorporated into the push buttons will be used in place of the more commonly used pedestrian signals located on the far side of the crossings. Providing nearside signals will enable the use of pedestrian presence detection which may cancel a pedestrian demand should they choose not to wait to cross the road. On- crossing pedestrian detection will extend the all red period for traffic while pedestrians are crossing.

Environmental Impact

The provision of pedestrian facilities will encourage walking, which is a sustainable mode of transport. In addition the inclusion of cycle facilities will help to encourage cycling.

The level of visual intrusion resulting from the scheme will be limited as traffic signals currently exist at the junction. The use of nearside pedestrian signals positioned at approximately 1 metre above the footway will help to minimise any visual intrusion to adjacent properties.

Land Requirements

No land acquisition required. All works to be confined within existing public highway limits.

Statutory Procedures

There are no statutory requirements.

Public Consultation

Consultation has been undertaken with local residents and businesses which included a letter drop and a plan outlining the proposals. In addition a plan and description of the scheme was displayed in the adjacent doctors' surgery in Essex Road. A letter outlining the proposals and a drawing was sent to the nearby Basingstoke College of Technology. Scheme plans and description were also passed to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to inform Borough Councillors. Two responses were received regarding the proposals. The first identified an existing drainage problem at the junction for which improvement measures have been incorporated into the scheme. The second comment regarded noise impact during the construction works, for which the person will be kept informed of work progress. No other comments have been received.

Both Borough Council ward Members have been informed of the proposals and have not raised any concerns regarding the scheme. The proposals were approved by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Environmental Sustainability in January 2003.

Local Member's View

The local Member, Councillor Gurden, fully supports the proposals. He is also a member of the Basingstoke Highways Management Panel which supported the scheme.

Facilities for the Disabled

The proposed crossings will include tactile rotating cones fitted to the underside of the pedestrian push buttons to indicate when it is safe to cross. Textured paving will be provided at the crossing points, with flush kerbs for wheelchair users.

Maintenance Implications

The existing carriageway condition is in a poor state of repair, and as such it has been identified on the top 10 listing for resurfacing work in Basingstoke. To improve the existing carriageway condition, extensive patching works would be needed. This would provide limited additional life. It is proposed to plane out the existing carriageway surface and to provide a new overlay surface. This will enable the carriageway to be reprofiled to improve surface water drainage.

Crime and Disorder Act 1998

The provisions of this Act have no impact on this proposal.

Sustainability

The provision of pedestrian facilities at this location will encourage walking which is a sustainable mode of transport. The crossings will form an important part of the route for pedestrians between the south-west of Basingstoke and the town centre which will help to encourage walking into the centre. The crossing will also improve accessibility to the nearby Basingstoke College of Technology and adjacent doctors' surgery. The scheme will include on-road cycle lanes which will help to encourage cycling within the town. The signals will include on-crossing detection which will extend the crossing time given to less mobile pedestrians. Tactile cones will be provided on the underside of the push buttons for partially sighted pedestrians.

4.

ROAD IMPROVEMENT - ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED

(Client Department)

Taking no action. This option would not meet the objective of improving pedestrian facilities and would leave the carriageway in a poor state of repair.

Improving pedestrian facilities only. This option would not address the need to resurface the carriageway. The resurfacing work would still be required and would have to be undertaken as a separate scheme following the installation of pedestrian facilities. This option would incur greater costs than the proposed combined scheme and would increase the period of disruption during construction for adjacent residents, businesses and road users.

Carriageway resurfacing only. While this option would address the requirement to repair the carriageway it would not introduce any improvement for pedestrians. A strong justification exists for improving pedestrian facilities and completing this work as a separate scheme would incur greater costs and increase disruption than the proposed combined scheme.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1.

Published works.

2.

Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

TITLE

LOCATION

SIG/1307

Environment Department

ITS Group, Monument House