Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Spatial Strategy

13 July 2004

Project Appraisal: Victory Roundabout, Basingstoke

Report of the Director of Environment

Item 1

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE MEMBER - SPATIAL STRATEGY

PROJECT APPRAISAL

PROJECT:

VICTORY ROUNDABOUT, BASINGSTOKE

COMMENCEMENT DATE:

JULY 2004

COMPLETION DATE:

MARCH 2005

PLANNED YEAR OF START IN ACCORDANCE WITH CAPITAL PROGRAMME: 2004/05

1.

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

Current

Capital

Estimate

Programme

(at 2004

at 2004

prices)

prices)

Capital Expenditure

£'000

£'000

Land to be purchased

-

-

Construction

80

80

Fees

20

20

100

100

Less developers/

100

100

other contributions

0

0

Financial provision for total scheme

Total Cost

1.

From Committees own resources

(a) Capital programme: 2004/2005

-

-

(b) Other: External funding from developer contributions

m

100

-

2.

From other resources

(a)

(b)

(c)

TOTAL

100

Value of land for this project in HCC ownership £

Variations from capital programme

Revenue implications

£'000

% variation

to Committee's

budget

Net current expenditure

1

0.001

Capital charges

10

0.009

TOTAL net expenditure

11

0.010

2.

STATEMENT OF NEED/JUSTIFICATION FOR PROJECT

(Client Department)

A Brief History of the Scheme's Development

In 1999 and 2000 Victory Roundabout (see attached location plan) was modified as part of the Town Centre redevelopment scheme to deal with increased traffic expected to be attracted to Festival Place. It now provides sufficient capacity to cater for all but the busiest periods.

However, two issues were raised following the modification, the gradients of the ramps and the dryness of the subways during periods of heavy rain. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council appointed a firm of consultants to investigate these issues. They identified that without a very large sum of money (in excess of £1.35 million) the ramp gradient problem could not be resolved and produced three options for moving this scheme forward: over bridges, dewatering and traffic signals. In early December 2000, due to exceptionally heavy rain throughout the summer, Victory Roundabout again flooded. A pumping operation commenced within a few days to keep the subway dry.

In June 2001 these options to resolve the problems associated with the gradients of the ramps and the dryness of the subways were outlined to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's Cabinet by its officers. The Cabinet identified the signalisation of Victory Roundabout as the Council's preferred option. This decision was then referred to the Borough Council's Environment Oversight and Scrutiny Committee. In June 2001 the County Council approved funding for a range of schemes associated with the LTP, one of which was the signalisation of Victory Roundabout.

On 8 November 2001 Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed to appoint a Victory Roundabout Scrutiny Panel. The Scrutiny Panel subsequently met on three occasions: 31 January 2002, 7 March 2002 and 10 October 2002. At the 10 October 2002 meeting a written statement by Hampshire County Council on the signalisation of Victory Roundabout was submitted for consideration.

The County Council reported that the proposed traffic signal installation would offer a number of advantages, including:

(i) managed traffic movements within an urban traffic control system;

(ii) facilitating car park access and egress;

(iii) priority for buses in line with the objectives of the Basingstoke Environmental Strategy for Transport (BEST); and

(iv) assisting the Borough Council's initiative to improve bus services, improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.

Traffic signals for the Victory Roundabout was one of six BEST projects agreed jointly by Hampshire County Council and the Borough Council at a meeting on 12 May 2003. The scheme was developed as a joint project by Hampshire County Council and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. County Council officers undertook to design the junction, estimate the construction costs and assess the traffic implications of the proposed traffic signals, and to report this information to Members along with the results of a consultation exercise undertaken by Borough Council officers.

There is currently no vehicular traffic problem at this roundabout and it is inevitable that with the introduction of traffic signals the delay to vehicular traffic using the roundabout will increase, particularly at peak times.

In addition, relatively few pedestrians and cyclists would benefit from an additional at-grade crossing as it could increase their journey time and offers no improvement in terms of safety. There could be some benefit in discouraging cyclists from sharing the subways with pedestrians, but without enforcing this segregation then this too would be severely limited.

The scheme was included in the BEST programme before the additional delay caused by the operation of traffic signals had been assessed. Design work was undertaken to determine this, and to evaluate the benefits, so that a decision as to whether or not the scheme should be installed could be made. Fees have been incurred in undertaking this design, and are included in the overall costs for the project described in this report.

The consultation work undertaken by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council identified a number of low cost measures that would produce an improvement in the walking and cycling environment, and which are described in section 3 of this report.

3.

ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROPOSAL (Client Department)

National/County Network and Policies

The scheme provides improvements to the subways, making walking more attractive and helping to meet the County Council's objectives of reducing the environmental impact of transport. This is a key outcome under Aim 2 of the Corporate Strategy (Stewardship of the Environment).

Details of Scheme and Design Standards

The consultation work undertaken by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council identified the following low cost measures that would produce an environmental improvement:

(i) implementing improvements to the lighting within the subway linking Victory Roundabout to Glebe Gardens;

(ii) taking up and relaying the dropped kerb leading to Essex Road and providing appropriate tactile paving;

(iii) replacing and painting guardrails and handrails, including repairing/ making safe handrails within the centre of the roundabout;

(iv) undertaking mural work and painting the internal walls and ceiling of subway with anti-graffiti coating;

(v) lifting paving slabs in subway tunnels and relaying with bituminous material;

(vi) replacing gratings to drainage channels at entrance to subway tunnels;

(vii) taking up paving slabs and relaying steps to Victory Park;

(viii) applying a footway surface dressing (ie non-slip surface to complement materials used in Victory Park) to the existing subway ramps and footways;

(ix) providing handrails to match existing where there are none; and

(x) cutting back or removal of overgrown trees.

Environmental Impact

The proposal has negligible consequences for the environment as a whole but will improve the local environment for pedestrians and is likely to encourage walking, reducing the adverse environmental impact of transport.

Land Requirements

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

Statutory Procedures

All necessary statutory requirements will be satisfied in the development of this proposal.

Public Consultation

A joint consultation exercise was undertaken, facilitated by the Borough Council, firstly on the principle of signalising Victory Roundabout, and secondly on detailed drawings provided by the County Council. The initial consultation took place during June 2003, with a subsequent exhibition at the Civic Offices between 11 and 29 August 2003 where detailed drawings were displayed for comment.

Of the 23 people/groups/organisations commenting on the detailed drawings provided at the exhibition, eight were in support of the proposals, six were against and nine made comments but expressed no view in favour or against the proposals.

Although the consultation was inconclusive in relation to the traffic signals, the environmental improvements described in this report are broadly supported.

A report outlining the proposals was presented to the Basingstoke Highway and Transport Advisory Panel on 17 March 2004, at which time the reasons for abandoning the traffic signal proposed for Victory Roundabout were discussed.

Local Member's View

The local Member, Councillor Shaw, supports the proposal.

Equalities

The measures proposed in this report will improve the subway for disabled users.

Maintenance Implications

The revenue implications of this proposal will be taken into account in the setting of the annual base budget.

Crime and Disorder Act 1998

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

Sustainability

The proposals will make the walking environment better for users of the subways. In so doing it may result in increasing the numbers of people walking rather than using less sustainable forms of transport.

4.

ROAD IMPROVEMENT - ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED

(Client Department)

Traffic signals were originally requested by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council following a recommendation by its consultants that traffic signals would provide a cost effective method of overcoming the problems associated with the flooded pedestrian subways. The flooding problems were subsequently reduced with improved pumps, but the desire for traffic signals remained, as a way of resolving the issues relating to the steepness of the ramps. The scheme was included in the Capital Programme prior to the traffic implications being assessed, and it is the queueing and delay now predicted to be caused by traffic signals that reduces the attractiveness of their installation.

In addition, relatively few pedestrians and cyclists would benefit from an additional at-grade crossing which could increase their journey time and offers no improvement in terms of safety. There could be some benefit in discouraging cyclists from sharing the subways with pedestrians, but without enforcing this segregation then this too would be severely limited.

The provision, or otherwise, of traffic signals at Victory roundabout has no implications for the wider ITS strategy for Basingstoke. There may be benefit in the future of installing traffic signals here to provide bus priority, but at the moment their operation would delay buses.

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

Project File

Environment Department

Monument House