Agenda item

Report of the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HIW/21/23)

(Electoral Division:  Totnes & Dartington)

RESOLVED:

(a) that a Members’ site visit be held prior to the end of the summer term 2021 to consider all options suggested;

(b) that a full report be brought to the next meeting, to include the feasibility and costings of a staggered junction option on the north side; and

(c) that Officers liaise with South Hams District Council to establish whether there was any air quality developer contribution funding that may be utilised.

The Committee considered the Report of the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HIW/21/33) regarding investigation into the addition of a straight through crossing on both Western Way arms of the junction to enable pedestrians to cross in one movement, as requested by HATOC on 5 April 2019, following HATOC’s earlier receipt of a letter and 64 signature petition following a collision on 1 October 2018 involving a child.

The Report advised of current crossing arrangements including signal controls and the existing central island.   There had been no other collision recorded at or near the junction in the past five years.  The County Council’s Casualty Severity Reduction Programme prioritised sites with greatest need. There were currently 68 sites across Devon on the Casualty Severity Reduction (CSR) list with five or more injury collisions in the last five years.

The Report suggested two options:-

(a) replace existing signals as they were during planned maintenance now due (£30,000); or

(b) pursue the design developed with single straight across crossings and implement when funding became available (additional £138,000 over option (a)).

The Report advised that the casualty record did not meet the criteria for funding of a scheme to be considered from the Casualty Reduction Programme.  Funding could come from a mixture of s106 funding and signal maintenance budgets, although this may not be sufficient to fund the whole of the scheme and would mean that the s106 funding was not available for other schemes in the community.  Given the substantial impact on traffic flows and increased traffic congestion and emissions from stationary traffic impacting on air quality, Officers could not recommend on balance that a scheme be developed.

However further to the Report, Officers also advised:-

-that a third option for a staggered signal-controlled crossing on the north side (similar to that on the south side) had also been raised very recently.  This option would have a lesser impact on traffic congestion, but would mean that pedestrians would have to cross in two stages on the northern side of the junction, as they currently did on the southern side.  Detailed traffic modelling and an estimate of costs could be undertaken if Members wished to consider this option.     

The local County Councillor advised that this junction was heavily used by families and school children at school times and the planned maintenance was the opportunity to consider and make improvements. She wondered if any developer contribution could be made available for air quality work.  She also advised there was a narrow pavement adjoining this junction, improvements had local support and would support more sustainable school journeys.  

In view of the pending traffic signal maintenance costs, Members supported a site visit and a full report back to the next meeting to consider all the options suggested.

It was MOVED by Councillor Hart and SECONDED by Councillor Hawkins and

RESOLVED:

(a) that a Members’ site visit be held prior to the end of the summer term 2021 to consider all options suggested;

(b) that a full report be brought to the next meeting, to include the feasibility and costings of a staggered junction option on the north side; and

(c) that Officers liaise with South Hams District Council to establish whether there was any air quality developer contribution funding that may be utilised.