Meeting documents
PTE/14/9
Teignbridge Highways and Traffic Orders Committee
4 February 2014
A380 Telegraph Hill removal of slip lane
Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment
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Recommendation: It is recommended that:
(i) the scheme shown on attached plan no. A12003/001A be approved at an estimated cost of 45,000;
(ii) the Traffic Regulation Order, with exemptions for authorised vehicles, approved by committee on 14 March 2013 and advertised on 25 July 2013 be sealed and implemented.
1. Summary
This report seeks approval for a proposed scheme to improve road safety, reduce the number of collisions and remove the potential for any further serious collisions by removing a redundant slip lane and median crossover on the A380 at Telegraph Hill.
This report was subject to presentation and approval by HATOC on 14 March 2013. It has been re-presented, with supplementary evidence, following an agreement to extend the consultation period. The extended consultation followed concerns by some residents of Old Haldon Hill that they had not been aware of the proposed scheme and advertised TRO until the scheme was scheduled for construction. Summaries of their correspondence now appear in this report.
2. Background/Introduction
An analysis of collision data for Telegraph Hill has indicated that during the ten year period 2003 to 2012 inclusive there were a total of ten reported personal injury road traffic collisions in the vicinity of the right turn into the slip lane linking the uphill and downhill carriageways of the A380. Three of these involved serious injury and nine, including the most serious, have occurred in the last five years. Of these nine, six are directly related to manoeuvres involving use of the median crossover. See Appendix I for the locations of these incidents and Appendix II for descriptions of their circumstances.
These incidents reflect the inherently unsafe and undesirable nature of median crossovers and, unresolved, these types of incidents can be expected to continue. Further, as these manoeuvres take place on high speed carriageways, and by design require manoeuvres to be undertaken in the faster, overtaking lanes (in this case lanes 2&3 southbound and lane 2 northbound) the manoeuvre can be considered especially hazardous.
Collision data and feedback from local residents suggests that this is an issue in the main for drivers unfamiliar with the area and/or making quick directional changes after an earlier navigational error, most likely at Splatford Split. Postcode analysis shows that of the incidents relevant to median crossover manoeuvres, the 'blameworthy' driver residential postcodes were: BL; DH; B; TR; PL; and one foreign national. The combination of uncertainty & late decision making and this type of junction design is highly undesirable, especially when a safer alternative exists.
Traffic surveys indicate that the daily average use of the link is 47 vehicles. The recent collision history is therefore especially acute when seen in the context of such low traffic flow.
Appendix IV shows total traffic flows on the median crossover between 13/11/13 and 21/11/13 inclusive. Appendix V shows traffic movements of vehicles using the median crossover on Tuesday 19 November 2013 (56 vehicles) and Thursday 21 November 2013 (41 vehicles). On these two days the vehicles were monitored by camera which permitted tracking of the motorists' onward journeys. On each day of monitoring 50% of vehicles using the crossover returned to the north east (towards Kenn and Exeter).
The slip lane was originally provided to allow access from the A380 to Old Haldon Hill. This arrangement, where a slip road is accessed from the offside of a main carriageway, is historic and no longer meets current design standards. It involves potentially hazardous and fatal manoeuvres, both when exiting the uphill carriageway with following traffic and when entering the 'fast' lane of the downhill carriageway at the far end of the slip lane. Since an alternative access to Old Haldon Hill is now available via the Haldon Chalets overbridge, it is considered that the slip lane is effectively redundant and should be closed to general traffic.
The Haldon Chalets overbridge is of a more recent, safer design and has an improved collision history following its inception in 2005/6 see the table below for Haldon Chalets incidents between 2003 and 2012 inclusive, with the period after the opening of the bridge highlighted. Whilst there are two incidents listed for 2012, neither could be considered attributable to the normal use of the Haldon Chalets junction for access and egress either north or southbound.
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At the median crossover, two of the collisions involved drivers following their vehicle satellite navigation system's directions to turn around, and erratic driver behaviour in three other collisions strongly suggests that sat nav may have been a contributory factor. In recent years these systems have become much more widely used and the vehicle survey carried out at the turn showed that 50% of vehicle movements are U turns most likely made because drivers missed taking the split at Splatford to continue on the A38 over Haldon Hill. In this circumstance, a sat nav will direct the driver carry out a U-Turn, using the offside slip and median crossover to turn. Appendix III shows the juxtaposition of a vehicle instructed to U-Turn/Turn Right and the entrance to the median crossover. The image shows the vehicle in lane 1 southbound when the instruction is given. From this position, effecting the turn would require crossing lanes 2&3 in quick succession and it would not be possible to benefit from the deceleration lane in advance of the median crossover. With traffic flows southbound at approximately 17,000 vehicles per day this would represent a significant danger to the instructed motorist and surrounding traffic.[1]
Even without a high risk instruction from a sat nav system, however, the collision characteristics suggest that some motorists are making last minute decisions to enter the offside slip. This is likely to be a manoeuvre undertaken to correct a navigational error by the motorist at Splatford and 50% of vehicles using the slip to return north east towards Exeter appears to support this hypothesis (see Appendix V).
Recent consultation with local residents brought responses that they themselves had not been involved in any collision, nor were they aware of the collisions which had taken place and which the police attended. If correct, this supports the opinion that those unfamiliar with the junction on a day-to-day basis are most at risk. In all, 11 objections have been received indicating that the slip is regularly used by properties and premises on Old Haldon Hill these are summarised for this report in Appendix VI, and full transcripts are available. The objections principally focus on the additional journey time and distance involved in using the alternative route, and generally dispute the assertion that the offside slip represents a hazard.
It is acknowledged that the closure of the median crossover will result in additional distance and travel time for journeys from the north east to access properties on Old Haldon Hill (journeys towards the north east will not be affected). For example, the current distance from Splatford Split to the junction for Manor Cottage & Woodlands Farm is approximately 1,400m. The revised distance would be approximately 4,150 metres via Haldon Chalets, taking an additional 2-3 minutes assuming a travelling speed of between 40 and 50mph. It is considered that this additional inconvenience is acceptable when balanced against the risk of carrying out a U-turn on a high speed, heavily trafficked road.
Two local landowners have aspirations to develop new businesses in the vicinity of Old Haldon Hill which would increase the number of drivers using the turn. Local residents assert that they have strategies to cope with the risk inherent in negotiating the junction, however a development such as a restaurant for which planning permission has been sought in the past would encourage new users unfamiliar with the substandard road layout.
3. Proposals
Attached plan no. A12003/001B shows the proposed scheme, which involves the removal of the uphill deceleration lane and the closure of the crossover to regular traffic.
The crossover itself will remain as it may still be required for winter maintenance operations and for police emergency and traffic management use in the event of road closures. Right of access would be retained by all blue light services in emergency situations. In order to prevent unauthorised use, access to the lane will be controlled by means of a line of removable traffic cylinders. A traffic regulation order will be required to enforce the restrictions.
4. Financial Considerations
The total estimated cost of the scheme is 45,000 and funding has been identified in the 2013/14 Local Transport Plan Casualty and Severity Reduction (Market and Coastal Towns) programme.
5. Sustainability Considerations
The proposals will have neutral sustainability impact.
6. Carbon Impact Considerations
The proposals will involve increased travel distances for vehicles accessing Old Haldon Hill. Traffic surveys indicate that the number of vehicle journeys affected will be few in number.
7. Equality Considerations
No new policies are being recommended in this report as it recommends only a technical change to the highway, and therefore an Equality Impact and Needs Assessment is not considered necessary.
8. Legal Considerations
The lawful implications/consequences of the proposals have been considered and taken into account in the preparation of this report.
9. Risk Management Considerations
This proposal has been assessed and all necessary safeguards or actions have been taken to safeguard the Council's position.
10. Public Health Impact
The scheme will have a positive public health impact by reducing the number, and severity, of road traffic collisions in the vicinity.
11. Options/Alternatives Investigated
The option of total removal of the link road was considered, but this arrangement would not facilitate winter maintenance arrangements or emergency use during road closures.
12. Reason for Recommendation/Conclusion
The proposed scheme will help to fulfil the County Council's statutory duty to promote road safety by reducing the number and severity of road traffic collisions.
Dave Black
Head of Highways and Traffic Management
Electoral Division: Exminster & Kenton
Local Government Act 1972: List of Background Papers
Contact for enquiries: Jeremy Phillips
Room No. ABG, Lucombe House, County Hall, Exeter. EX2 4QD
Tel No: (01392) 383289
| Background Paper | Date | File Reference |
| None |
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jp130114teh
sc/cr/a380 telegraph hill removal of slip
03 230114
Appendix I
To PTE/14/9
Collision map for the A380 Median Crossover and slipway 2008-2012 inclusive
Appendix II
To PTE/14/9
Collision records for the A380 Median Crossover and slipway 2008-2012 inclusive
Continued over
Appendix III
To PTE/14/9
Vehicle position in respect of the median crossover when a U-Turn is recommended by a GPS system.
Arrow indicates the mouth of the median crossover at the point of 'instruction'. The vehicle is in Lane 1, travelling south. The test involved setting Plymouth as the destination point and then 'missing' the lane separation for the A38 at Splatford Split.
Appendix IV
To PTE/14/9
Total traffic flows on median crossover between 13/11/13 and 21/11/13 inclusive
Appendix V
To PTE/14/9
Traffic movements of vehicles using the median crossover on Tuesday 19 November 2013 and Thursday 21 November 2013. Vehicles monitored by camera.
Note that vehicle movements accounted for are only those which use the crossover and then access roads and premises to the west. On each day of monitoring 50% of vehicles using the crossover returned to the north (towards Kenn and Exeter).
Appendix VI
To PTE/14/9
Summary of objections and responses
ENV ID 5329:
Devon County DCC (A380 Telegraph Hill Offside Link)
(Prohibition of Motor Vehicles) Order
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| Resident of/Owner or user of nearby premises | Objection Comments | DCC Response |
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1 |
Haldon Hill |
Supports retaining the link loop as it is a really useful short cut back down the hill.
Been using the link loop for the past five years with no problems. Alternative route is a considerable detour.
A speed restriction descending Telegraph Hill would be a far better precautionary measure.
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It is accepted that the link will increase journey time and distance for regular users on the southbound leg of their journey. However, this needs to be balanced against the risk of use for all motorists and not just local traffic.
Non-local traffic is over-represented in the collision history and 50% of the surveyed vehicles using the crossover did not use it to access residences or premises on Old Haldon Hill.
A Telegraph Hill speed restriction is not within the scope of this proposal and would represent significant compliance and enforcement challenges. Non compliance would also increase the risk to traffic emerging from the crossover northbound. |
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2 |
Haldon Hill |
Not aware of Devon County Councils (DCC) intention to close the short road that links the northbound and southbound sides of Telegraph Hill.
Been using the Telegraph Hill for over 43 years on a daily basis and have yet to witness any incident related to this road on either the uphill deceleration slip lane or on the exit onto the downhill side of Telegraph Hill.
Alternative route adds a considerable distance to homeward journey and is more dangerous to use as the deceleration lane at the top of the Telegraph Hill is very short and on a section that is only two lanes wide creating a potential accident spot.
If it is DCC case that a junction onto a major road is dangerous then they would have to close hundreds of other junctions, many which are a lot worse than this one.
If DCC want to make the road safer maybe signs warning motorists of the presence of a slip road and merging traffic. Would certainly cost less than the closure of the slip road. |
Advertisement of the order was fully compliant with our statutory obligations and the extended consultation period provided further opportunity for comment.
Collision histories have been supplied by Devon and Cornwall Police and verified by Devon County Council.
It is accepted that the alternative route is longer. However, Haldon Chalets offers a more contemporary and safer design that is reflected in an improved and superior collision history since its inception in 2006.
Each casualty and severity reduction site is considered on its merits and solutions are sought that are best suited to the location and its context.
Additional signing may have the effect of increasing the use of the route which, given the shortcomings of its design, would be an undesirable outcome. |
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3 |
Old Haldon Hill |
Objects to the proposed closure of the Telegraph Hill offside Link Road.
Disabled resident resides here who requires carers twice a day along with nurses, dieticians and pharmacists. This means extended travelling time decreasing the time they spend with disabled resident.
Who will pay for the extra fuel costs for the extended travelling time for the visits to the doctors, pharmacy, school runs and scouts etc? The school run will double in distance.
The proposed alternative route is unlit and has multiple junctions. The entry slip on to the A380 just before the Telegraph Hill petrol station is short and has an adverse camber which is just as dangerous as the old route.
Will Highways be closing the HGV lay by just up from the slip which also has poor visibility when exiting?
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It is accepted that the link will increase journey time and distance for regular users on the southbound leg of their journey. However, this needs to be balanced against the risk of use for all motorists and not just local traffic.
This includes those travelling on work related journeys and at-work drivers are already identified as an especially vulnerable group. The traffic order associated with the closure allows for access by 'blue light' services in emergencies.
Costs associated with changes in route are borne by the individual affected.
Both the median crossover and Haldon Chalets are unlit. The collision history for incidents relevant to the presence of the crossover are all in daylight. The northbound onslip to the south of petrol station at Haldon Chalets does not have a comparable collision history.
Closure of the layby to the south of the crossover is not being considered as a casualty and severity reduction location at this time as it does not have a comparable collision history. |
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4 |
Kennford |
Objects to the proposed prohibition of motor vehicles on the A380 Telegraph Hill Offside Link.
Little consideration given to those who live on Old Haldon Hill who will have to travel greater distances to be able to reach their homes.
With the severe winter weather conditions increasing over the last few years, roads have been impassable and if the severe conditions continue than the residents will be unable to get home as the only way they will be able to get home is to travel all the way to the top of the hill which will be impossible. |
It is accepted that the link will increase journey time and distance for regular users on the southbound leg of their journey. However, this needs to be balanced against the risk of use for all motorists and not just local traffic.
The traffic order that comes with the closure of the crossover explicitly allows for its use for winter maintenance and traffic management purposes as required. It will therefore be possible to open the crossover to managed traffic in extreme weather conditions if necessary.
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5 |
Old Haldon Hill |
Strongly objects to the proposed closure of the offside link.
Considerable miles and time will be added to journeys to take children to school and other club activities. These journeys are unavoidable and the additional costs to travel are unreasonable.
Not witnessed or been aware of any incidents due to this road.
Proposed route is much more dangerous, as pulling out at the top of the hill with limited view is far more hazardous. The area is renowned for adverse weather conditions including thick fog. Visibility becomes very limited and unsafe potentially causing more accidents and putting family at increased risk. |
It is accepted that the link will increase journey time and distance for regular users on the southbound leg of their journey. However, this needs to be balanced against the risk of use for all motorists and not just local traffic.
Collision histories have been supplied by Devon and Cornwall Police and verified by Devon County Council.
Haldon Chalets is a more contemporary and safer design and this is reflected in its collision history. The design of the crossover is especially hazardous in limited visibility, as traffic in the fastest lanes south and northbound will encounter unexpectedly slower moving vehicles accessing or leaving the crossover. |
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6 |
Haldon Hill |
Objects to proposal and believes it should be scrapped.
Closure of link road will add considerable time and expenditure to journeys as a result of having to use the alternative route.
Disagrees with statement of reasons to improve road safety and reduce the number of collisions. Not been aware of any accidents arising from the use of the link road.
Visibility is not obscured in any way when joining the carriageway from the link road as you have sight of all the traffic approaching.
Slip road for Kenn & Kennford is far more hazardous to exit than the Telegraph Hill link road.
If proposal goes ahead, it shows a blatant disregard for residents of Haldon Hill and Deer Park Business Centre.
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It is accepted that the link will increase journey time and distance for regular users on the southbound leg of their journey. However, this needs to be balanced against the risk of use for all motorists and not just local traffic.
Collision histories have been supplied by Devon and Cornwall Police and verified by Devon County Council.
The design requires vehicles exiting the crossover northbound to enter, usually from a state of rest, the overtaking lane on an extended downhill section of a high speed route. This is not considered an acceptable design by contemporary standards.
Kenn is not being proposed as an alternative route.
The proposal has considered the additional journey time and distance for southbound traffic and this has been balanced against the safety benefits of closure applicable to all motorists on this section of the A380. |
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7 |
Old Haldon Hill |
Lived in area for many years and yet to see any accidents at the link road. More dangerous spots including the lay-by just above the link road and the slip road from Kennford.
Proposed diversion route is not a minor diversion and will add extra 1.8 miles to each journey which will add time and money. Joining the road at the top of Telegraph Hill is dangerous as there is a very short access and visibility is poor.
The link road is far from redundant and it is used by residents, delivery drivers, employees, friends and other visitors.
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Collision histories have been supplied by Devon and Cornwall Police and verified by Devon County Council.
It is accepted that the link will increase journey time and distance for regular users on the southbound leg of their journey. However, this needs to be balanced against the risk of use for all motorists and not just local traffic. Haldon Chalets is safer design and this is reflected in the improved collision in recent years.
It is accepted that the crossover is in use. However, surveys indicate that vehicle flow averages are 47 movements per day, of which 50% accesses Old Haldon Hill premises and residences and the remainder return north towards Exeter. |
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8 |
Rockbeare, Exeter
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Been using the link road since 1982, not witnessed any accidents, near misses or other road safety issues at the A380 link or its slip road.
The access link has wonderful visibility in respect of approaching traffic and there is nothing to prevent drivers from joining the carriageway in perfect safety. The layout presents no more risk than any other junction with first class visibility.
The alternative route offered will increase a journey by two miles to access a point 50yrds away. Has DCC's carbon emissions programme been discontinued?
The alternative route is hazardous and those using the alternative route would have difficulty particularly in bad weather and at night and would be exposed to more harm than at the existing access.
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Collision histories have been supplied by Devon and Cornwall Police and verified by Devon County Council.
The design requires vehicles exiting the crossover northbound to enter, usually from a state of rest, the overtaking lane on an extended downhill section of a high speed route. This is not considered an acceptable design by contemporary standards.
It is accepted that the link will increase journey time and distance for regular users on the southbound leg of their journey. However, this needs to be balanced against the risk of use for all motorists and not just local traffic and the number of journeys affected are relatively few.
Haldon Chalets is safer design and this is reflected in the improved collision in recent years. In poor weather and at other times of reduced visibility the crossover is considered particularly hazardous because it requires slower moving vehicles to use the overtaking lanes south and northbound. |
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9 |
Petition - 24 signatures)
Various Residents, owners and uses of premises at Old Haldon Hill |
DCCs process for allowing affected members of the public to make representations has proven less than desirable.
The link was constructed to replace access for the community of Old Haldon Hill and is the only realistic access to homes and premises of Old Haldon Hill from nearby Kennford and all points north, including Exeter.
Site has never been considered as an accident 'black spot'. The deceleration lane is of adequate straight length and its uphill attitude naturally contributes to the stability and safer slowing down of vehicles entering the link and can be joined with minimal inconvenience to through traffic.
The gentle curve of the link itself joins the downhill A380 northbound at an easy angle with a give way. Drivers can join the carriageway without stopping, if clear to do so. This has superior distance and angle of visibility for both approaching traffic and anyone exiting the access link.
DCC wrongly implies that the deceleration lane is responsible for an unusually high number of collisions.
DCC should be looking at other local accident 'black spots' instead and if DCC wishes to improve road safety on Telegraph Hill, they should consider average speed cameras which could help all parts of the hill safer.
Increase in carbon emissions, extra mileage and fuel costs regarding the proposed alternative route.
Deceleration lane is not 'redundant' as it is in regular daily use by the community and remains the only practical access from the North.
The proposed detour route is potentially dangerous as there are five junctions to negotiate before starting back down Old Haldon Hill. The route is complicated and would be confusing for visitors and there would be an increase of risk for those travelling in bad weather conditions. |
The advertisement of the traffic order complied fully with our statutory obligations in the first instance and, following concerns from some local residents and businesses, the period of consultation was extended.
The alternative route offered by Haldon Chalets crossover is available and is of a superior and safer design.
The proposal is in response to a change in the longer term collision history of the site. The design which requires vehicles to exit and enter mainstream traffic from the offside is a poor and outdated design that does not favourably compare with the alternative route available.
The curve of the crossover and the presence of the Give Way junction on the northbound side requires traffic to travel slowly to navigate it safely (at around 20mph), adding to the challenge of decelerating sufficiently from the 3rd lane of the southbound carriageway. The deceleration lane for the crossover is 115m compared with 210m at Haldon Chalets alternative. Haldon Chalets also provides an onslip acceleration lane to join lane 1 of the A380 northbound. The crossover has no facility for this and requires traffic to enter the overtaking lane usually from a state of rest.
Manoeuvres associated with the crossover have featured in six of the nine recorded incidents in the last five years.
The casualty and severity reduction process considers collision clusters throughout the Devon network annually. Average speed cameras are not within the scope of this proposal.
It is accepted that the link will increase journey time and distance for regular users on the southbound leg of their journey. However, this needs to be balanced against the risk of use for all motorists and not just local traffic and the number of journeys affected are relatively few.
It is accepted that the crossover is in use. However, surveys indicate that vehicle flow averages are 47 movements per day, of which 50% access Old Haldon Hill premises and residences and the remainder return north towards Exeter.
Haldon Chalets is safer design and this is reflected in the improved collision in recent years. In poor weather and at other times of reduced visibility the crossover is considered particularly hazardous because it requires slower moving vehicles to use the overtaking lanes south and northbound. |
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10
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Old Haldon Hill |
Not aware of proposals, only received information day before end of extended consultation period and have great concerns regarding the closure of the link road.
Firm has recently brought the old filling station for developing a business. Business would be compromised and not viable as there would be no realistic access from the Exeter direction.
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The advertisement of the traffic order complied fully with our statutory obligations in the first instance and, following concerns from some local residents and businesses, the period of consultation was extended.
The alternative route offered by Haldon Chalets crossover is available and is of a superior and safer design. Business traffic may well increase the use of the crossover by motorists unfamiliar with the area and the collision history suggests that this group is at particular risk. Future businesses customers would not be affected by a change made at this time. |
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11
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Old Haldon Hill |
Objects to Prohibition of Motor Vehicles Order.
Have not seen or heard of a collision on the slip road since using it for over ten years whereas DCC collision data report states 8 collisions have occurred in a four year period.
Witnessed more accidents on the southbound carriageway at the top of Telegraph Hill.
On analysing the collision data, the descriptions of locations are described incorrectly and therefore the traffic collision data has not been recorded accurately and the validation procedures are not vigorous enough. The whole basis upon which DCC is closing the slip road is founded on false data.
Agricultural vehicles accessing fields from the slip road will have to go to the top of Telegraph Hill increasing further tailbacks uphill and the likelihood of accidents increasing as other motorists will try to avoid theses slow moving vehicles.
Increase in travelling time and distance increase for households who use the slip road. This alone will cost nearly 1,000 extra per year in fuel.
According to DCC's 2012 year-end report, the entire length of A380 dual carriageway is rated 40th out of 138 'A' roads and does not fall into the worst performing quartile. This evidences that DCC's data collection processes, analysis and validation are inaccurate.
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Collision histories have been supplied by Devon and Cornwall Police and verified by Devon County Council.
Haldon Chalets junctions do not have a comparable collision history.
The geographical locations of the recorded collisions are correct. There are sometimes mismatches between the Easting/Northing supplied by the police and the officer's description of the location. This is common and reconciled during our data verification process, which also uses the incident/manoeuvre descriptions to ensure the location is correctly plotted.
The use of the crossover by agricultural or similarly slow moving vehicles is of particular concern. The requirement that these vehicles enter the 3rd lane of the southbound uphill section is highly undesirable, as is the requirement that they enter the 2nd overtaking lane from a state of rest when re-entering the A380 northbound.
It is accepted that the link will increase journey time and distance for regular users on the southbound leg of their journey. However, this needs to be balanced against the risk of use for all motorists and not just local traffic.
The A380 (Kenn to Penn Inn) section is correctly classed at 40/138 in our 2012 A road risk rankings. The rankings are derived from data sets that allow comparisons of sections of carriageway (not individual junctions). These risk rankings for sections of carriageway are not used to determine what actions should be taken, but rather serve to put proposals and interventions into a context.
These calculations are on the basis of each section's average Killed and Seriously Injured casualty and collision numbers per annum; its average annual KSI per km length; and its average annual KSI per km travelled.
In the case of the A380 Kenn to Penn Inn section, the collisions at the median crossover are included in the calculations. |
[1] This test was conducted using two proprietary sat nav systems and one sat nav application on a smartphone. The instruction to turn was common to both proprietary systems. Only the smartphone app recommended using Haldon Chalets to turn around. It is thought that the processing speed on the smartphone was too slow to recalculate the route in time to offer the median crossover as an option.