Background

The Parish Council has been working with Hampshire County Council
on options available to help improve road safety and compliance with
the speed limit through our Parish. The overall aim is to make changes
to the physical environment that make people feel like they are
driving in a village and not on an A or B road with a village on the
side. There is no single change that will ensure drivers keep within the
speed limit or reduce the volume of large vehicles on our roads so
change will take a little time, effort (and money!). But we are keen
to make a difference.
There are 2 main themes to how we can improve road safety:
Please read the advice the PC has been given in these themes and
comment on the proposal
THEME 1 : Show "road users" or "drivers" they are in a village and not a highway.

Research suggests that driver behaviour can be influenced by the built environment around them, so the aim here is to limit the road features by:

  • Installing improved village gates to enhance the entrance to the parish
  • Remove the centre lines on the road to encourage drivers to travel more slowly by reducing the certainty over lane width. This can also improve the appearance of a road, although they must be retained at bends where drivers require guidance on road alignment. This can be combined with our existing edge lining that can create a visual narrowing through appearing to reduce the lane width available.
  • The use of village name plates to emphasis a change in location from highway to a village setting
  • Removing road signs and replacing them with village style ‘finger signs’ that are more appropriate to a village setting. Most signs are advisory and so long as drivers have the necessary information to direct them on their way, we have choices about the size and number of signs
  • Reinstate missing bollards to improve safety
  • Targeted use of signs to highlight specific risks, e.g. school and horses
  • The use of planting to enhance our rural setting, soften edges and reduce further the intrusion of the highway
  • Use of advisory 20mph speed limit zones in areas most at risk although the County Council is consulting on the use of mandatory 20mph zones and you may have seen the invitation to comment recently.
THEME 2 : Traffic Managment

  • Taking action to reduce the number of large vehicles travelling through our parish and the speed of all users.
  • Continue to support our very active Speed Watch Group, that is successfully enforcing the speed limit on the A343. We are looking into the possibility of purchasing or sharing a mobile speed device that will allow the group to run speed watch sessions across the parish. If you are interested in joining the group please contact Lynn Hedger (l.hedger@btinternet.com)
  • Recently the group has advised neighbouring parishes seeking to set up their own groups. The more Speed Watch Groups the better for all of us.
  • Encourage the Police to hold more of their own speed watch sessions. In the past year the speed watch group has registered 850 vehicles with the police so we have the evidence to show the risks of speeding in the village. Use the same evidence to make the case with the County Council for a formal traffic survey.
  • Work with the County Council and its industry group to secure the voluntary agreement of national and local haulage companies to avoid the A343 when possible
Much of this work is at its early stages, and we would welcome your views and comments to help its development. Please leave your name and contact details if you would like to be part of a Working Group to take it forward.

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