Pulens Lane Improvements, Petersfield

Upcoming traffic management

Hampshire County Council has appointed Rocon to carry out the investigatory works which will commence on Tuesday 27 August, and will complete on Monday 2 September. The works will take place between the hours of 9am and 5:30pm each day, subject to weather conditions. No works will be undertaken over the weekend.

Localised traffic management will be in place for the works, with stop and go boards used to control the traffic flow and ensure a safe environment for all road users and the works contractors.

The investigatory works will be as follows.

Drainage Surveys - Jetting (cleansing) and CCTV inspection of existing systems to ensure that the drainage design works with current system and to identify and resolve any issues.
Tilmore Brook Structural Survey - bridge and parapet – the scheme requires upgrade to the parapets to allow for use of the shared footway by cyclists.
Street Lighting - Street lighting assessment required to assess current lighting levels and any changes required for the proposed scheme.
Trial Holes – contractors will be excavating small sections of the road in key locations under traffic management. This will allow the designs to accurately identify utility services to check what the road and verges are made of.

Scheme updates

A review of the developing scheme has been undertaken to assess the viability of the scheme against the available funding. As a result, it has become necessary to reduce the scope of the scheme to deliver improvements within the limited budget.

It remains the intention to deliver the remaining sections in a phased approach as funding allows. We will continue work with partners to identify and secure further funding opportunities to enable the delivery of the full scheme as consulted upon.

The revised extents of the scheme have been reduced to the area of Durford Road junction to Tilmore Brook, as shown in this plan.

Details of the reduced scheme have been shared with the Petersfield Strategy Group (PSG), comprising of representatives from East Hampshire District Council, Petersfield Town Council, Hampshire County Council and South Downs National Park. The PSG agreed to the reduced scope of the initial scheme and the phased delivery of the remaining sections of Heath Road (including Rival Moor Way junction) and Pulens Lane (including its junction with the A272 London Road).

The reduction in the scope of the scheme for the initial phase for delivery has been based on the two primary objectives of the initial scheme, these being:

The Tilmore Brook Crossing on Pulens Lane will be pedestrian and cyclist friendly enabling them to cross safely, with ease and with little delay;
The layout of the Durford Road junction will be more friendly for pedestrians ensuring that they have their own time slots for safely crossing the road.

Pulens Lane and Heath Road East, were identified by the Petersfield Strategy Group as a priority for improvements. The Petersfield Strategy Group comprises representatives from Hampshire County Council, East Hampshire District Council, the South Downs National Park and Petersfield Town Council. The roads were identified for improvements due to the high number of collisions and accidents that occur at the Durford Road junction, with speeds regularly exceeding the 30mph limit along the route, noted by the community and confirmed by speed data collection.

The proposed scheme is a series of traffic calming measures along the length of Pulens Lane and Heath Rd East to the Junction with Rival Moor Rd. These include raised tables and pinch points. The scheme aims to improve safety for all road users, using a healthy streets approach to promote walking and cycling while enhancing Petersfield's natural environment and rural features.

The aim of the scheme is to improve safety for everyone that travels along Pulens Lane and Heath Road East, so that:

Everyone feels welcome; reflecting the character of the area and highlighting attractive features, complying with ‘Roads in South Downs’ Guidance from South Downs National Park (SDNP) and being sensitive to local environment: particularly Petersfield Heath and Tilmore Brook;
People choose to walk and cycle; by improving the links across Pulens Lane and Heath Road East, to support the Petersfield Neighbourhood Development Plan Getting Around Policies and East Hants Local Cycling and Walking Improvements Plan, therefore promoting more sustainable access;
Easy to cross; ensuring that there are less barriers to people wanting to cross the road, providing better crossing points, particularly with the junction redesign at Durford Road/Heath Road junction, to reduce the likelihood of accidents;
People feel safe; reducing the speed of traffic to be under 30mph, ideally 20mph; and
Things to see & do; providing better walking and cycling access to existing recreational facilities in the area, such as: Petersfield Heath; Tilmore Brook Local Nature Reserve and the leisure facilities at Penns Place, but also linking to routes into the town centre by foot or cycle.

The feedback from the original proposed scheme will be considered when designing the remaining phases.
For the revised sections of the scheme (Section 2 and part of Section 3) currently being designed, the written unstructured comments / feedback from respondents highlighted in the below table:

Focus	Response
Traffic lights at the crossroads.	The addition of signals in this location has been looked into by the scheme designers and our Intelligent Traffic Systems teams. Due to the constrained area of the crossroads combined with the rural nature of the area and Petersfield’s location in the South Downs National Park, it is not feasible to introduce signals with crossing facilities at this location. Doing so would urbanise the area, which is contrary to South Downs National Park Policies, and would require acquiring land from the Heath area and properties around the junction. Additionally, the cost of implementing signals at this location would be prohibitive and exceed the available budget for the scheme.
Formal pedestrian crossings (type not specified) at Tilmore Brook and Durford Road crossroads.	The design will include crossing locations for pedestrians, wheeled users and cyclists. However, due to the constraints outlined in i) above, it is not possible to add formal crossing facilities such as zebra or parallel crossings on this junction. The design will include suitable crossing points with tactile paving on the raised table for the crossroads. The raised table, combined with the pinch points on the approached to the junctions will have the effect of slowing traffic, creating a safer crossing environment.
The need for formal dropped kerb crossings on the side roads.	Where possible, dropped kerbs and tactile paving will be added to the side road crossings.
Additional traffic calming measures (speed bumps /raised tables at the pinch points), traffic calming on the Heath Road approach to the crossroads.	Having further reviewed the design in relation to the feedback, two additional traffic calming pinch points have been added to the scheme. One on the Heath Road approach to the crossroads, and the other on the Durford Road approach.
Stop signs on the crossroads.	The signage at the crossroads is being reviewed and if appropriate the Stop sign on Durford Road will remain. Additional Stop signs will be considered where appropriate, however these must meet the strict criteria required for Stop signs to be introduced, including authorisation from the Department for Transport and the Secretary of State for Transport.

The survey feedback survey closed on 7 January 2024 at 11:59pm. You can still read the information pack, Healthy Streets Report and Frequently Asked Questions.

Funding for the transport capital delivery schemes is separate from the County Council’s revenue budget and savings proposals. In the majority of cases funding comes from external grants and / or Section 106 contribution from developers. This funding usually has conditions that strictly control on how, where and when it can be spent.

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Name Highways, Engineering and Transport
Email [email protected]
Phone 0300 555 1388

Address
Universal Services
Hampshire County Council
The Castle
Winchester
SO23 8UD