Contact!

The Highways Authority contractor who look after the A34 have been in touch to say let us know who's going to be answering the question (you didn't think we'd get an answer first time, surely?)

29 August 2012

Dear Mr Stead, 

 H.A.I.L. Reference number: 13349413. 

 Thank you for contacting the Highways Agency Information Line (H.A.I.L.). The Highways Agency is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the Strategic Road Network in England on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport. This consists of the Motorway network and the Major Trunk roads. A map of the roads for which we are responsible can be found HERE. 

 Your complaint has been forwarded to Area 3 EnterpriseMouchel, as we are the Managing Agent Contractor, and we are responsible for the A34. Please note that you will not receive any additional correspondence regarding your enquiry from HAIL now that this has been passed onto us for investigation. 

 Unfortunately I cannot answer your complaint immediately. This has been sent to the appropriate team/person responsible for further investigation to be completed. A member of the Customer Service Team will be in further contact with a full response, within 10 working days. 

 Yours sincerely 
 ... 

Customer Service Co-ordinator Area 3

The Footpath to nowhere...

This reply just in from HCC Traffic Management Team, in respect of the request to relocate the 'no stopping' sign to allow people to walk or cycle safely without resorting to the 60MPH sliproad:

"The existing sign you refer to is in unmade verge and not in a formal footway and therefore it shouldn’t require moving as cyclist should not use the existing uneven verge but use the carriageway as cycling on any footway  as you mention, would be illegal.  Whilst I appreciate the verge area may be used by pedestrians who may come from the adjacent Right of Way path from Tufton and even the bus stop located near the A34 bridge, I would not encourage this area to be used by any pedestrians as it is not an area that has been identified or clearly set out as a "footway" and therefore people do so at their own risk.  Whilst people will most often choose the shortest or most direct (not always safest) route to their destination, this is most likely why the verge area is showing wear of foot traffic and from my observation, even vehicle traffic"

 

So let's be clear here: what HCC are recommending is that instead of walking past the sign on the southern side of the road to get to/from Tufton, the bus stop or Whitchurch, that residents not use this 'shortest or most direct (not always safest) route'.


(Remembering, it was HCC who approved and built the 500m-long footpath from the 40MPH boundary of Whitchurch to the A34 underpass. Was this built simply to facilitate people who didn't want to get the bus from Whitchurch, who fancied a stroll under the motorway to get the bus there? A bus, it must be added, that only goes back into Whitchurch).



The only alternative HCC seem to be suggesting in the great Tufton-or-Death struggle is to cross a 60MPH sliproad, that has just 2 seconds visibility at typical speeds.     Twice.

I have sought clarification from HCC that this is indeed their preferred option for non-motorised persons to get to/from Tufton. Failing levitation or teleportation, I'm lost for alternatives. Your thoughts welcome below.

A quick reply from HCC this time...

A speedy reply from the HCC Traffic Management Team:

=================================
Dear Mr Stead,

Thank you for your most recent emails and I apologise for the delay in a response.  With regard to the "No Stopping" sign in Nuns Walk, the sign does not appear to be located within any formal footway or footpath, it is currently located in the verge adjacent to the main carriageway and I would not envisage cyclists or pedestrians using this section of verge for any real purpose. [my emphasis - Ed] Unless there was obvious signs of damage or the sign was presenting a safety concern, relocating the sign would have little benefit.  I am also not aware of any historical complaints about the location of the sign.

I have looked at the latest 3 year personal injury accident data for the A34 slip road including sections of Nuns Walk and Winchester Road and there has only been one reported speed related accident during this period which was in October 2010.  It is important to note that the A34 including the slip road to the Nuns Walk/Winchester Road junction is not maintained by Hampshire County Council and this falls under the responsibility of the Highways Agency.  As a result, the County Council did not undertake and speed limit review for this road as part of the A+B Speed Limit Review and therefore should you wish to see the outcome of any speed limit review on the A34, you will need to contact the Highways Agency.  This would also include any request to reduce the speed limit along this road or the slip road to Nuns Walk/Winchester Road junction.  I was not fully aware at the time of your initial email, that this was not a road maintained by Hampshire County Council.

=================================

So that looks like a pretty clear indication that communication with the Highways Agency is required. My response to HCC Traffic Management Team today:

Dear Highways Team,

Thanks for your reply. Two issues to pursue here:

1. No Stopping sign

Thanks for clarifying it is on 'verge'. Question: is this verge, and the sign's placement, controlled by HCC or the Highways Agency? Who would need to approve its relocation?
FYI I have raised 'Track It' cases for the sign (111001145001) and the verge's uneven surface (111001144994) as well as requesting what the legal status is of the footway, back toward Whitchurch and at this spot (111001145050).

Given that there is a substantial footway on the same northern side of Winchester road as the sign, ending on the other side of the A34 underpass, it seems common sense that pedestrians would proceed from the Whitchurch footway, under the A34 and emerge at the spot where the sign is located. This is evidenced by the beaten path between the sign and the kerb, and I can vouch for this having used it many times to get to & from Tufton with children on bikes. The idea that having travelled along the footway, people would then cross Winchester road, use the southern side of the underpass (which leads nowhere), then re-cross Winchester Road 30m later at the dangerous junction to continue to Tufton doesn't make sense to me. I've attached a piccy of this - I believe the green route is infinitely preferable to the red one.

[update: Eagle-eyed reader Andrew R-H points out: "There is a bus stop under the A34 which presumably people living in Tufton would get off at - hence another reason to have path from the underpass to the area near the stop sign." have passed this to HCC as well]

As mentioned, the sign does indeed present a safety hazard. It is located less than 1m from the kerb, forcing both pedestrians and cyclists to be much closer to 60MPH traffic exiting the sliproad than would otherwise be required. For cyclists (riding or walking their bikes), it has the added risk of catching a handlebar and tipping them into the roadway. For anyone travelling in a mobility scooter or wheelchair it presents a formidable barrier, their only option being to travel on the 60MPH roadway to get past.



I accept I may be the first person to think this could be made better through engagement with HCC.


2. Speed review

Can you please confirm where the Highways Agency jurisdiction ceases and HCC's begins? At what point on Winchester road? If HCC mandate that all of Winchester road be 40MPH (or less), what account does the HA then need to take of this in setting the limit for the preceding section of sliproad?

Regards

Mike

Progress. Out of the weeds...

Two weeks ago I had an initial reply from the HCC Traffic Management Team:

Dear Mr Stead,

Thank you for your recent query regarding the speed limit on the above roads.  Although the slip road off the A34 reduces down to a single lane carriageway, the national speed limit that applies near Nuns Walk and Winchester Road would be 60mph.  Although this is the legal maximum speed, drivers should adjust their speed accordingly based on the local environment, road conditions and nature of the road. I would assume that most traffic exiting from the A34 would be gradually reducing their speed due to the bends of the road and the fact that the slip roads reduces from two lanes into one.

Due to the cost implications and lengthy legal procedure associated with any alteration to existing speed limits, there would need to be significant safety reasons to justify a reduction in the speed limit.  Most speed limit reductions are a result of a road having a poor personal injury accident record where vehicle speed is a contributing factor.  In the case of the slip road off the A34, I am not aware of any reported personal injury accident issues along this section of road which would require a review of the existing speed limit.

In saying this, I will investigate the personal injury accident record for this road to ascertain if there are any underlying safety concerns that require our attention.  I hope this has been of some help and should you require any further assistance please feel free to contact me.

...Super. So because no-one's died yet...my follow-up request:

Thank-you for your detailed reply.

I look forward to your review of the personal injury accident record. If your system doesn't show any record and the usual criteria for a reduction is a previous death or injury, I imagine the alternative way to obtain a limit reduction is the direction we are headed.

Can you please let me know how this alternate process usually works?

...has so far gone unanswered. Despite several prompts. And a repeat request to find out exactly who sets the speed limits hereabouts. Another reminder sent today.

In other news, the part of HCC that deals with roadside vegetation were very prompt in dealing with my request to clear away the vegetation from the footpath on the northern side of the underpass. Here's what it looks like now:

Which is just super, much better. However with the vegetation removed, two things are revealed: one, after years of neglect/growth the level of the soil has risen up to the point where it needs digging out to be level again, and there's a sign right where a path user would want to walk/ride - just perfect to catch a handlebar on. Next step: organise some digging, and sign relocation...

I've raised a case with HCC Footpaths for the uneven surface:

Thank You - The uneven pavement surface has been reported. Your Track it number is - 111001144994         

...and for the sign in the middle of the foot/cycle path:


Thank You - The broken or missing sign has been reported. Your Track it number is - 111001145001

Note: HCC didn't have a category for 'This sign is in a stupid place' - so we'll have to make do with 'broken'

What all this raises is the exact status of this bit of path - is it a footpath, or can bikes use it too? if it is a no-bikes path, how does one go about the process of changing this? Yet another HCC TrackIt number for that enquiry: 111001145050

And finally, a local cycling campaigner John B was in touch to suggest HCC weren't quite on the right track with their thinking. So yet another email off to the HCC team:

Dear Traffic Management Team,

In addition to my previous replies, can you please clarify how HCC acted upon the Speed Limit Review as in DfT Circular 01/2006, which required all A and B limits to be reviewed by 2011. 

I believe the guidance included the principle "The needs of vulnerable road users must be taken into account in order to further encourage these modes of travel and improve their safety."

I also believe that DfT no longer require the need for deaths or injuries to be a factor when determining Speed Limits. Could you please comment?

Regards

Mike

'ello 'ello 'ello...

This afternoon the kids and I cycled to Tufton to pick up some bike parts from our friend Jeremy. Naturally we were looking out as we approached the intersection, I was paying a lot of attention as on a beautiful sunny afternoon you do get people complete jerks out for a bit of harmless fun  endangering others on the public highway.

And sure enough, as we were about 30m from the intersection, underneath the A34 overbridge and just about to start to move out into the centre of the road to turn right, a car did come around the corner. It was moving at what I guess was at least 60MPH, and was cutting the corner - I reckon half the car was over the hatched lines on the corner. It was certainly going too fast for me to register the licence plate number.

What I did manage to see was that it was a very new BMW 5-Series estate.

With POLICE written all over it.

(I didn't see any blue lights on and didn't hear any siren. 4:05pm to be exact).

:-/

STOP! in the name of science...

Here's a photo from a driver's-eye view of the intersection, taken yesterday. As you can see, the vegetation on the left greatly reduces visibility compared to in winter:

The distance from the car position at the junction to the limit of visibility is 40m. At the posted speed limit of 60MPH (or 26.8m/second), that means you have exactly one and a half seconds between seeing a car and it crashing into you.

Now in a car you can (and I suspect most people do) 'floor it' to get out of the danger zone, sharpish. On a bike, with children, starting off on an uphill gradient and getting across into Nun's Walk in 1.5 seconds is highly unlikely.

This online stopping distance calculator tells us that at 40MPH, in the dry, the recommended stopping sight distance is 72m. At 60MPH the distance is 141m. It gets worse in the wet, and I haven't factored in the slight downhill gradient which again increases the stopping sight distance.

The Stopping Sight Distance is, according to Wikipedia, "the distance traveled while the vehicle driver perceives a situation requiring a stop, realizes that stopping is necessary, applies the brake, and comes to a stop".

Guess what speed would allow a driver of a car or HGV to see and avoid a collision? 30MPH. Yes, the extra 10MPH going from 30 to 40 nearly doubles the stopping distance.

What I believe this shows is that even under best-case conditions, assuming a driver is not pushing the speed limit, the stopping distance they need to see and avoid colliding with a vehicle or people on bikes at the intersection greatly exceeds the length of visible road.

This intersection is the stereotypical 'Accident Waiting To Happen'. Except in my view, it's only an 'accident' if you couldn't foresee it happening and couldn't do anything about it. A collision, injury or death here will not be an accident. It will be an omission to act in the face of known risks.

Meanwhile, I've had a response to my initial query from HCC. More to follow...

While we are waiting...

...waiting for a response to the query from HCC, that is, let's kick off another bit of citizen-council interaction.

The footpath leading under the A34 is a fine way to cycle or walk from Whitchurch to Tufton. Until you get under the A34, that is. Then you are confronted with a mass of vegetation that forces you to teeter precariously along the kerb, in the face of 60MPH traffic coming off the slip road. On a bike this is a very dicey maneuver, as the kerb is slanted and just begs to flip your front wheel off and dump you into the highway.

So using the fabulous HCC online reporting tool, I've lodged an 'overgrown Hedge/Tree' job.



















Here's a piccy of what it looks like, as approached from the Whitchurch side of the underpass:

The tracking number is 111001136773. Let's see how this one goes.

First step: Who is in charge here?

I've called the Hampshire County Council Highways Department, to enquire as to who actually sets the limit on this bit of road. HCC's website says they don't look after the A34, the National Highways Authority does. But the bit I'm concerned about isn't a highway. So somewhere there's a demarcation line. Finding that and who controls either side is the first step.

A nice lady took my details and promised to pass the query on to the Highways team for an answer. I was given reference number 111001133669. They must get a lot of calls. At least 111 Billion since they were formed. Wow.

Stay tuned...

Seconds out.

We cycle to Longparish from Whitchurch quite often. It's lovely. Quiet lanes, streams, ducks, shady trees etc. There's two excellent pubs, a playground and more thatch than you can shake a Wurzel at.

It's lovely. A perfect English country bikeride. Except for the bit where we have to turn right off Winchester road into Nun's Walk. That bit's a gamble, every time.

We have no idea what speed cars will do coming off the A34, and we only have a second or two at best to judge their speed once we realise a car is coming. With children, on bikes, this is nerve-wracking to say the least. Some drivers try to do 60MPH or more around the corner, others drive sensibly and cautiously.

Even in a car, waiting to turn right into or left out of Nun's Walk, it's a gamble.

It's my belief this corner should be 40, no more. In fact, that the whole of Winchester road into Whitchurch should be 40, but one fight at a time.

So here is where I'll be posting a record of my communication with the council employees, managers, elected representatives at local, county and national level. This record will show how good (or bad) the Hampshire authorities are at reacting to public concern regarding road safety.

It is my fervent hope that during what I anticipate will be a long struggle, no-one is injured or killed. Being proved right in that way would be a tragedy.