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

This is the limit.

After a bit of digging and reading up on the Road Code etc, I've just realised that the speed limit on the sliproad, coming off a 70MPH dual carriageway, is - er - 70MPH. It doesn't change to 60MPH until the commencement of the single carriageway where the 'NO ENTRY' is painted on the road.

Let's revisit that one: SEVENTY. MILES. PER. HOUR.

Around this corner:

That's about 40 metres visibility. At 70MPH a driver will travel forward 31 meters in the one second it takes them to realise there's a car/truck/tractor/cyclist/family in the intersection. That's the one second it takes the average brain to work out the road isn't clear ahead and something needs doing. By the time their foot lifts off the accelerator and starts to come down on the brake, they will have covered the remaining 9m. So the actual impact speed will be 70MPH. No braking at all. (If you think you're a good driver and could avoid this, think again: a top jet fighter pilot might manage 0.5 seconds reaction time. Apparently a top F1 driver could get to 0.4 at the peak of their career. But you aren't in an F1 car and even one of those couldn't stop in time).

The dry-weather, flat surface Sight Stopping Distance, based on the DfT guidelines, from 70MPH is 247m. As you can see, there's a bit of a downhill slope. Let's call it 3 degrees. That distance is now 272m. Let's add a bit of rain (because it does rain, you know): 290m. Nearly three football pitches.

There have already been collisions here in the last few years. It is only a matter of time before someone who:

a) Doesn't know the road
b) Is an idiot
c) Is in a huge hurry (and is also an idiot)

will try to take the corner at or close to the legal limit. Even at 50, or 40MPH - all these distances will exceed the accepted minimum Stopping Sight Distance...

....just as a family or individual, in a car or on a bike, turns right...seeing how the road is clear.

Or as a resident of Tufton, or Longparish, or Hurstbourne Priors turns left out of the lane, on their way south to the A34. Not forgetting the fact that there is also a bus stop under the A34 (Buses tend not to be too fussed about cars running into them at 50MPH, but the car drivers probably won't appreciate it).

The bottom line is this intersection and the sliproad feeding it at a legal 70MPH is a Highways Authority and Hampshire County Council-sanctioned deathtrap. I have informed (text below) Tom Thacker, the Hampshire County Councillor for the ward, as well as Sir George Young, MP for the ward, also Ken Thornber leader of HCC and the council minister for transport, Mel Kendal, along with our Borough and Town councillors, in the hope that some executive oversight might get things into the fast lane, so to speak. Of course we have yet to hear back from the Highway Authority contractor for the area, but it's probably better to have our elected representatives in the loop sooner rather than later.

I've spoken with some former Hampshire Police advanced driving instructors and road crash investigators, with many, many decades of experience dealing with the consequences of poor judgement and poor road design. They all warned not to expect fast progress, or indeed any progress at all given the government funding cuts and the political desire not to be seen to be waging a 'war on the motorist'. Ironically it is motorists most likely to end up dead or maimed because of this intersection layout.

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Dear Sir George, Councillors,

I'd like to bring your attention to the issue of speed on the A34 sliproad heading into Whitchurch from the south. The current limit is 70MPH off the A34 dual carriageway, then down to 60 where Winchester road begins and the Highways Authority jurisdiction ends.

Both speeds are patently, ridiculously high for this slip road, given its sharp bends and the location of an intersection around a blind corner. It is also frequently used by cyclists and pedestrians, and has a bus stop in the roadway. It is the textbook 'crash waiting to happen'. I would not call any crash, injury or loss of life here an 'accident', as deliberate choices have been made by HCC and the Highways Authority regarding the design and regulation of this intersection that clearly put people in harm's way.

For the last few months I have been engaging with HCC and now the Highways Authority on this matter, and wanted to alert you to the public record I'm keeping of progress: http://tuftonordeath.blogspot.co.uk/

You can click over on the right to see the archive of posts, starting from the bottom up with pictures and diagrams of the various issues this location faces - speed, ill-placed signs, footpaths (or lack thereof)...

As noted I am engaged with both HCC and the HA contractor, and have had many messages of support from Whitchurch and Tufton locals who use this intersection.

I will be sure to keep you appraised of progress or lack thereof.

Kind regards

Mike

No News. Just admin.

Back on 23rd August I raised three 'Track It' cases with HCC. Here's a review, three weeks on:

For the sign (111001145001) 

Problem details

• Problem type: Broken or missing sign (note: HCC don't have an option for 'sign in a silly place', so 'broken or missing' will have to do)
• Location: PAPER MILL LANE, WHITCHURCH
• Status: Open - Problem Report received
  The above problem has been received, and is in the process of being inspected.
  We aim to carry out the inspection within 5 working days but could take longer in some circumstances, such as severe weather conditions or flooding.
  
  The outcome of the inspection will be displayed here when completed.

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The verge's uneven surface (111001144994) 

Problem details

• Problem type: Uneven pavement
• Location: PAPER MILL LANE, WHITCHURCH
• Status: Open - Problem Report received
  The above problem has been received, and is in the process of being inspected.
  We aim to carry out the inspection within 5 working days but could take longer in some circumstances, such as severe weather conditions or flooding.
  
  The outcome of the inspection will be displayed here when completed.

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What the legal status is of the footway, back toward Whitchurch and at this spot (111001145050).

Problem details

• Problem type: Problem
• Location: Error: could not be matched to a street (Weirdly the Track It system thinks this is about a salt bin - Have updated the case to explicitly describe exactly where it is)
• Status: Open – Repairs arranged
  We have inspected the reported problem, and made arrangements to fix it.
  We aim to have the problem fixed within 2 months but it could take longer during severe weather conditions.

See and wait...

This just in from EnterpriseMouchel, the Highways Authority's delegate for the A34:

Dear Mr Stead,

Further to my email dated 29 August; unfortunately we are still undertaking our investigations into your concerns regarding safety and the speed limit at this slip road.

I will be in further contact with you once I have received the findings from our team’s investigations.

Yours sincerely
...

Customer Service Co-ordinator Area 3

I think every government contractor should sign off in a purple font, don't you?

Wait and see...

Further reply today from HCC:

Dear Mr Stead

Thank you for your further email and I apologise for the delay in responding. As you have lodged queries with our local highways office, I will forward  your most recent concerns onto them as they may be better suited to deal with your concerns pertaining to relocating the existing sign.  In saying this, there could be merit in investigating whether or not a short section of footway can be created in the verge to link up with the existing right of way path behind the traffic sign.

Again this would be dependant on the outcome of any investigations in order to ascertain if the short section of footway would provide any real benefit and whether or not sufficient funding is available to undertake any such works.  I will pass this to our highways team for them to investigate further and respond to you in due course. I hope this has been of some help.

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.