23 March 2015

Present:-

Devon County Council:-

Councillors Sanders (Chairman), Ball and Sellis

West Devon Borough Council:-

Councillors Benson and Leech

Apologies for Absence:-

Councillor McInnes

*25 Minutes

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 4 November 2014 be signed as a correct record.

*26 Devon Highways Update

The Committee received a presentation by the Head of Highways, Capital Development Waste on highway maintenance under the Voluntary Joint Venture agreement with South West Highways and Mr G Robinson, Operations Director, South West Highways also attended and spoke at the invitation of the Committee. The presentation and discussions covered:

the County Council s success in bidding for 16,000,000 of Government funding in 2014/15 from both the Pothole Fund to address damage caused by extreme weather conditions and the Maintenance Challenge Fund with 9,600,000 of this being spent on resurfacing works and 2,900,000 being spent on patching - 13,400,000 of the additional funding had to be spent by the end of the current financial year and the County Council was on target to do so;

the challenge of continuing to provide the necessary level of highway maintenance in coming years while facing reduced revenue support grants and capital funding from Government, and the increasing importance of successful bids for challenge/incentive funding;

the submission to the Department for Transport to consider Devon as a special case and provide funding for maintenance of the rural road network alongside bids for additional capital and revenue funds for 2015/16 made available by the Government for major road networks;

the Tough Choices strategy for the 2015/16 revenue budget which included stopping grass cutting (except in visibility areas) and weed treatment and remodelling of the parish lengthsman service;

efficiency achievements including a 2,000,000 efficiency gain over the last three years;

pothole and other safety defect repairs - improved response time/lower cost/new repair techniques including the use of jetpatching (the V works ICT system had made a significant contribution to increased productivity/efficiency);

progress made on mobilising community support - at least 45 Parish and Town Councils had now signed up to or expressed an interest in the Community Self-Help/Community Road Warden Scheme; over 100 individuals had undergone free highway safety awareness or Chapter 8 training and others had registered for future training;

the role of the Road Warden and basic safety awareness training being essential for volunteers;

budgetary provision for training until at least July 2015;

examples of Community Self-Help e.g. Tidy Town Days in Bideford and Holsworthy and local councils employing lengthsmen and undertaking grass cutting;

progress made on managing demand - work with communities on reviewing and prioritising the local highway network;

economies involving Neighbourhood Highway Groups and standby arrangements;

policies on salting/gritting and control of noxious and invasive weed species;

proposed organisational changes involving the Highways Agency;

options for future delivery models for highway services from April 2017 which would be considered by the County Council s Cabinet in May 2015.

*27 A386, Old Station Road, Horrabridge - Investigation into Improvement of Pedestrian Crossing Facilities (Minute *48/27 March 2013)

(Councillor S Roche, Vice-Chairman, Horrabridge Parish Council and Councillor D Moyse, West Devon Borough Councillor for the Burrator Ward, attended and spoke under the Council s Public Participation procedure)

The Committee considered the Report of the Head of Highways, Capital Development Waste (HCW/15/21 - text only | pdf HCW/15/21) on further investigations into a request by Horrabridge Parish Council for the provision of a pedestrian crossing on the A386 (Old Station Road) between its junction with Graybridge Road and Manor Gardens, Horrabridge.

The Head of Service indicated that previous requests for a pedestrian crossing at this location had not been progressed due to the relatively low pedestrian numbers crossing the road and the lack of a relevant injury collision history in the area but that a new investigation had been undertaken after the Parish Council had asked that the matter be reconsidered.

The recent investigations had shown that:

the pedestrian vehicle count still did not justify the provision of a formalised crossing (Pelican or Zebra) but that the existing refuge was appropriate;

there was a good safety record at the site with no pedestrian injuries reported by the Police over the last ten years;

the existing refuge could be widened to 2 metres at an estimated cost of 17,000 to enable pushchairs and bicycles to be accommodated without protruding into the live traffic lane;

provision of a zebra crossing would involve footway widening, retaining but closing off the existing pedestrian refuge and moving a telegraph pole at an estimated cost of 54,000, and moving a safety camera at an estimated additional cost of up to 25,000.

The Head of Service indicated that the provision of a widened pedestrian refuge would be appropriate to the current numbers of pedestrians crossing the road, maintain current pedestrian patterns which had proved to be safe over the last decade and deal with the safety concerns expressed by the Parish Council without introducing the risks or costs involved in providing a formalised crossing. However, he acknowledged the possibility that the position regarding a formalised crossing could change in the event of further development in the village and developers contributions becoming available.

The Head of Service referred to current uncertainty regarding the future funding of local transport schemes arising from changes in Local Transport Plan funding and a possible new funding regime emphasising educational and economic benefits which would involve bids to the Local Enterprise Partnership from 2015/16, with funding being targeted on supporting growth areas.

It was MOVED by Councillor Sanders, SECONDED by Councillor Ball, and

RESOLVED

(a) that the contents of the Report detailing the results and analysis of surveys undertaken be noted;

(b) that a bid for up to 20,000 be prepared for funding, if available, to enable the existing pedestrian refuge close to Graybridge Road, Horrabridge to be widened during 2016/17, unless sufficient funding becomes available earlier from other sources e.g. Town and Parish Fund, Members Locality Budgets;

(c) that the position regarding funding for the widening of the refuge and the impact of future development on vehicles using and pedestrians crossing this stretch of the A386 be reviewed in 12 months time.

*28 Action Taken Under Delegated Powers

The Committee received and noted the Report of the Head of Highways, Capital Development Waste (HCW/15/22 - text only | pdf HCW/15/22) setting out action taken under delegated powers on advertised Traffic Regulation Orders since the last meeting.

*29 Future HATOC Meetings

It was noted that meetings would be held as follows:

Tuesday 14 July 2015 (Okehampton);

Thursday 5 November 2015 (Tavistock)

Tuesday 22 March 2016 (Okehampton)

(all 11.00am).

*DENOTES DELEGATED MATTER WITH POWER TO ACT

The meeting started at 11.00am and finished at 12.50pm

The Minutes of the West Devon Highways Traffic Orders Committee are published on the County Council s Website at:-