Not Dead Enough

Finally, a reply from the Highways Authority contractor who manages the A34, and the sliproad at Tufton:

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Dear Mr Stead,

Further to my email dated 06 September; we have completed our investigations.

There have been 2 reported personal injury collisions in the vicinity of this location in the last 5 years (2007-2011); both of these incidents were slight and both had the contributory factor of lost (sic) of control.

The Department for Transport (DfT) Circular 1/06 ‘Setting Local Speed Limits’ requires all Traffic Authorities to ensure the speed limits on their roads are kept under review with changing requirements. A National Target to review local speed limits by 2011 had been set; requiring the necessary changes to be implemented by the relevant Traffic Authorities.

For the Area 3 network, this was carried out in February 2010 and each link of each route was examined in accordance with the parameters of Circular 1/06 ‘Setting Local Speed Limits’.

It was found that with the exception of two sections on the A3, the rest of the Area 3 Network has collisions per 100 million vehicle kilometres, below the Investigatory Level and thus does not require any further actions to be undertaken in respect of speed management.

Therefore there are currently no plans to lower the speed limit at the Whitchurch Interchange. There are also no plans to undertake any improvements to the layout or signage at the junction based on the evidence explained above.

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So what this seems to say is yes, people have lost control in this location. Twice in the last five years, resulting in injury. But because there haven't been more collisions, or more severe injuries or death, it doesn't meet government criteria for intervention. We need more people to be injured, or maybe die, before action will be triggered. 

One can only assume that a collision between two vehicles severe enough to cause injuries inside a car would have been much worse, had it been between a car and, say, a child on a bike or a pedestrian, either in the roadway or on the verge. Remembering, these collisions occurred due to 'lost control'. We have an acknowledgement from the government agency that there is a problem here, and a statement that nothing needs doing until more people are injured or someone is killed.

My reply:

Dear HA representatives

Thank-you for your detailed reply.

Can you please advise what the appeal or escalation process is, to have this decision reviewed? 

Can you also please provide me with a copy of the work / assessment done on this intersection, the relevant collision reports (excluding personal information, of course), and the criteria against which the intersection was assessed?

I would also appreciate any technical information regarding the intersection - cambers, sight lines, assumed road surface friction co-efficient etc.

Regards

Mike