Report to the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport
Report submitted by: Executive Director for Environment
Date: 7 September 2012
Part I
Electoral Division affected:
Accrington North
Speed Management in Huncoat Village
(Appendices 'A' and 'B' refer)
Contact for further information:
Matthew Hargreaves, 01254 770966, Environment Directorate,
matthew.hargreaves@lancashire.gov.uk
Executive Summary
This report outlines the exceptional circumstances being experienced by the
residents of Huncoat due to the size and speed of vehicles using the local road
network in order to access the local industrial estates in Huncoat and the adjacent
landfill site. The nature of the roads and the traffic using them also prevents their
inclusion in the 20mph programme and creates severance within the community.
Recommendation
The Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport is asked to approve the
development of a speed management scheme for Huncoat village, and in doing so
consider physical engineering features, which could then be subject to
consideration for funding from the Capital Programme.
Background and Advice
Huncoat is accessed primarily from the A679 Burnley Road. Immediately to the east
is the A56 Accrington Easterly Bypass providing links to the motorway network of the
M65 and M66.
The village is served by a loop of roads formed by Bolton Avenue, Enfield Road,
Station Road, Lower Gate Road, Higher Gate Road and A679 Burnley Road. Only
Station Road, which has existing engineered traffic calming features, will be included
in the county wide 20mph speed limit programme. The other roads do not meet the
criteria for inclusion in the 20mph programme. The A679 Burnley Road is subject to
a 40mph speed limit, with the remaining roads having restricted road (30mph) status.
A diagrammatic layout plan is attached at Appendix 'A' to this report.
To the north west of Huncoat is the Whinney Hill land fill site which is one of the few
licensed sites in the region which can take contaminated waste. This generates
steady flows of heavy goods vehicles bringing waste from as far afield as
Manchester. Together with the Huncoat Industrial Estate, this accounts for the
majority of HGV traffic using Bolton Avenue. The weekday average flow on Bolton
Avenue is approximately 3,500 vehicles of which10% is HGV traffic. 84% of the HGV
movements are concentrated in the 7am-7pm period which equates to approximately
27 HGV's per hour during this 12 hour period. By way of comparison, Queens Road
and Church Place, two classified 'B' roads in the area have average HGV flows of
between 2% and 3%. A summary of the traffic data is attached in Appendix 'B' to this
report.
The speed and volume of traffic has a negative effect on the community as it creates
severance between the residential areas and the village facilities. Residents to the
west of Huncoat must cross Bolton Avenue to access the local primary school on
Lynwood Road. The road safety issues experienced in this area were taken into
account in the design of the recently constructed cycleway, which has seen
significant usage incorporating a reduced width crossing point on Bolton Avenue. A
zebra crossing has also recently been added just north of Within Grove to provide a
safe crossing point for pedestrians accessing the new playground, local shop and
bus services. Whilst these measures have improved the situation, the severance
problem persists.
Industrial development at Altham has also had a significant effect on traffic through
the east of the village as commuters use Higher Gate Road, Lower Gate Road and
Altham Lane in order to shorten their journey. A weight restriction on Altham Lane
was introduced to prevent HGV's using this to access the Altham Industrial Estate.
However there is a low bridge on Bolton Avenue that forces vehicles over 14' 3" high
to use Higher Gate Road, Lower Gate Road, Station Road and Enfield Road to
access either the land fill site or the Huncoat Industrial Estate. The weekday average
flow on Higher Gate Road is approximately 4,400 vehicles of which 4% is HGV
traffic. 93% of the HGV movements are concentrated in the 7am-7pm period.
Residents have raised concerns regarding the traffic on Enfield Road for many years
and officers have received many requests for action to be taken to address high
vehicle speeds. The road is a Speed Indicator Device (SpID) site and has also been
targeted by the Police with their SpID trailer. The weekday average flow on Enfield
Road is approximately 2,200 vehicles of which 8% is HGV traffic. Approximately 90%
of HGV traffic is concentrated in the 7am-7pm period.
Officers had a meeting in early October 2011 with the County Councillor for
Accrington North, County Councillor Pritchard, and District Councillors Parkins and
Whittaker to discuss the problems and the merit of including the roads in the
proposed county wide 20mph speed limit programme. The outcome of this
discussion was that whilst this area does not comply with the criteria for the 20mph
programme, there is strong local support from both residents and councillors for
some action to be taken to address the issue of speeding traffic in and through the
village.
Further discussions to find a solution resulted in the Cabinet Member for Highways
and Transport, County Councillor Tim Ashton, attending a site meeting on 28
October 2011.
Proposals
It is proposed to develop a scheme to address the speed of vehicles using the roads
around Huncoat village. The different types and volume of traffic using the roads will
require each road to be considered individually at the design stage. The unusually
large proportion of HGV traffic using Bolton Avenue (10% of flows) and Enfield Road
(8% of flows) will influence the type of measures required to encourage these
drivers, who are familiar with the area, to travel at a more appropriate speed. The
alignment of Bolton Avenue raises particular problems as it is very straight with good
forward visibility and also has a significant gradient over its southern half.
The higher volume and proportion of car traffic on Higher Gate Road and Lower
Gate Road may require consideration of other options. The two roads have
contrasting geometry. Higher Gate Road has several bends with limited forward
visibility although it is quite wide whilst Lower Gate Road is straight with good
forward visibility but has on-street parking which reduces the available carriageway
width.
Unfortunately it is not practical to prevent the use of the roads by HGV traffic
because of the location of Huncoat Industrial Estate which is accessed off Bolton
Avenue and the proximity of Whinney Hill land fill site. There are also potential
development sites adjacent to the village which may have an impact on traffic type
and volume on Higher Gate Road and Lower Gate Road.
Several surveys have been undertaken to assess the mean speed of traffic on the
roads around Huncoat village and a summary of the results is included at Appendix
'B' to the report. Bolton Avenue and Enfield Road both show mean speeds to be
above the posted speed limit of 30mph which, combined with the high proportion of
HGV's, is a genuine concern for residents. Higher Gate Road and Lower Gate Road
had a mean speed of 29 – 30mph meaning there is a large proportion of highway
traffic travelling in excess of the 30mph limit. Traditional enforcement techniques
have failed to substantially influence driver behaviour along these roads.
There have previously been schemes along Bolton Avenue and Station Road to
address the concerns of officers and residents over the speed of vehicles and a poor
accident record. The scheme on Bolton Avenue was severely limited in its scope as
it had to accommodate the movement of oversized loads of concrete beams being
transported from Huncoat Industrial Estate, south to Burnley Road. These wide and
long loads prevented any permanent vertical or horizontal deflections being
introduced. The business has moved its operations from the site and these
constraints no longer apply.
Station Road has an existing system of speed cushions and priority control features
which were installed as part of a local safety scheme to address a poor accident
record combined with high vehicle speeds. This length of road has now been
reduced to a 20mph speed limit as part of the County wide initiative. Officers believe
this reinforces the need for further measures on the other roads detailed in the report
in order to gain the benefits that residents desire.
There have been 8 recorded personal injury collisions in the last 5 years along the
roads being considered by this report resulting in 1 serious and 12 slight injuries. The
combined length of the roads is 2.3km and the collision record is, therefore relatively
low but is likely to reduce further if a speed management scheme was to be
introduced.
Consultations
The County Councillor for Accrington North and District Ward Councillors are in
support of the proposals and were involved in local meetings held with County
Council officers which have led to the request for a speed management scheme for
Huncoat.
Implications:
This item has the following implications, as indicated:
Risk management
There are no significant risks to the County Council in implementing this report.
Financial
If approved, a detailed scheme estimate would be produced for consideration for
inclusion in the relevant Capital Programme.
Any representations made to the Cabinet Member prior to the issue being
considered in accordance with the Public Notice of Forward Plans
Name:
Organisation:
Comments:
N/A
Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985
List of Background Papers
Paper
Date
Nil
Reason for inclusion in Part II, if appropriate
N/A
Contact/Directorate/Tel