Archived decisions

Recommendation

Initial Actions Completed

Future Actions

A Hampshire County Council should exercise whatever influence it can, either in its own right, or in partnership with other County Councils, to ensure that manufacturers of satellite navigation systems include road restriction information.

Contact has been made with Sat Nav manufacturers to identify the scope for joint working. Some manufacturers acknowledge the issue and appear receptive to joint working with local authorities.

Continue discussions with a view to setting up joint review.

B Given current information from Lyndhurst traffic surveys that a large percentage of vehicles are local as opposed to through traffic, the review group would wish to see exploratory work on the potential for smarter travel choices in Lyndhurst reducing the need to travel by private car.

Focus of work to date has been on accommodating traffic - future work of the local steering group will consider this issue in due course.

Feasibility work has been undertaken to identify improvements to pedestrian routes serving the primary school.

Ensure issue is considered by steering group in due course.

C As a short term measure, Hampshire County Council should seek the cooperation of the Highways Agency to make the signage on the M27 and at Cadnam directed at Heavy Goods Vehicles more explicit regarding restrictions on accessing Lyndhurst, except for lorries making local deliveries.

A full review of all of the traffic signs associated with the 7.5t weight restriction (New Forest South), which covers Lyndhurst High St, has been undertaken. The initial outputs from the study revealed that signage on the primary routes of the M27, A326 and A35 are complete and correct. The route from Romsey to Cadnam A3090, the A36 spur and A31 have no signs.

A comprehensive survey of lorry movements through the High Street was undertaken in July 2008. This revealed only 11 contraventions of the restriction within a 12 hour period.

Assessment of cost and benefit of providing supplementary advance signing of the scheme on A3090/A36/A31.

D Hampshire County Council should use its influence, together with partners, to support a review of the level of penalty fine for HGVs contravening the lorry restrictions to enhance its effect, and to ensure greater efforts are made by the police to enforce the restrictions.

Investigations underway to identify appropriate forums to raise the issue - likely to have more influence if raised jointly by all Highway Authorities.

Advise Members on the outcome when available.

E Hampshire County Council should put in place a communication plan which would make it clear to people what information they can expect to receive at different stages of the work to resolve Lyndhurst's traffic problems, and how they can contribute to and inform this process.

Will be considered by the local steering group in due course.

Drafting of communications plan.

F Outcomes from the planned Hampshire County Council led local engagement, and the further consideration of options identified in the 2007 Study Report should be communicated to the Environment and Transportation Select Committee in summer 2008 as part of the scrutiny monitoring work of the committee.

Letter sent to Councillor Hutcheson from Councillor Mel Kendal on 2^nd July 2008 updating the progress of the Traffic Management Steering Group to that point.

The Group has met once since then, on the 11 September, and is due to meet again in January 2009.

Trial to extend operation of left filter at High Street/ Romsey Road junction underway.

Other options identified and prioritised by the group require further modelling/assessment - outcomes to be reported to January meeting.

G The review group recommends further trialling of the use of variable message signs on the M27 to direct drivers away from congestion hot spots in the New Forest such as Lyndhurst and routeing tourists to park and ride pick up points for the New Forest open top tourist bus.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras and CCTV cameras have now been installed at two location of the A337. The information gathered by the cameras will trigger the electronic signs on the M27 to direct traffic via the A35.

Discussions with the Highways Agency, who manage the Motorway have revealed that only `strategic destinations' can be signed, which precludes signing to New Forest Tour pick up points.

Testing of journey time triggers and the associated motorway signs in Autumn 2008.

H Hampshire County Council should prioritise New Forest wide approaches to traffic management with a view to known hot-spots such as Lyndhurst benefiting from such measures.

To be incorporated in future work to review the New Forest Transport Strategy. All assessment work to date considers wider, as well as local, impact of options being tested.

I In the light of viability and deliverability issues examined, the review group could not support the prioritisation of either a Lyndhurst focused bypass or a New Forest wide bypass at the present time. Concerns are those connected with the costs over benefits, as well as those relating to environmental impacts, given the stringent tests associated with an Appropriate Assessment under the Habitat Regulations, the potential adverse effects identified and the range of alternative measures that would be likely to have lesser environmental effect than a bypass, and have yet to be tested.

Noted.

J The group supports the further exploration of the two package options and the lower cost option of demand management measures, such as junction improvements, one way system revisions etc. in the village, as identified by Hampshire County Council/Mott Gifford. (See page 17)

After consideration at Cabinet (31/3/08) `The Cabinet does not support the further exploration of the two package options namely 7a and 7b, but does support the lower cost option of demand management measures, such as junction improvements, one way system revisions etc. in the village, as identified by Hampshire County Council/Mott Gifford'.

Continuation of the Lyndhurst Traffic Management Steering Group who are pursuing assessment of the low cost measures.