Agenda item

Councillor Charles Howard will present the findings of the Working Group (report attached), followed by an opportunity for questions.  The Area Board will be asked to consider a recommendation that Wiltshire Council be asked to submit an application to the Department for Transport that the A338 / A346 corridor be de-primed and for restrictions then to be placed on the A338 and other north/south roads such as the A345.

The Chairman invited Councillor Charles Howard to present the report which had been produced by a working group supported by the Tidworth Community Area Partnership, and comprising representatives from the Tidworth, Pewsey, Marlborough and Bourne Valley areas.  The full version of the report was available on the Collingbourne Ducis Parish Council website.

The report considered several factors relating to the A338 / A346 corridor from Salisbury to Swindon:

• Volume of traffic – around 7,000 vehicles used the corridor daily, rising to 16,000 between Marlborough and the M4.
• Priority locations – such as bridges and towns, where the road was particularly narrow.
• Future increase in traffic – new Distribution Centres planned for Solstice Park and Andover Airfield were likely to increase Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) usage of the corridor.
• Accidents – The corridor had a higher than average accident rate, with 205 accidents in five years, resulting in 343 casualties (including 8 fatalities and 75 serious injuries).

The report had concluded that the corridor was unsuitable for the volume of traffic it currently sustained, in particular the volume of LGV traffic.  This was impacting on the local area in terms of noise pollution, vibrations and air quality.

The Working Group had identified two options to reduce the impact of the volume of LGV traffic:

• Bypasses – Previous attempts to secure bypasses along the corridor had been unsuccessful, and costs were likely to make this option unviable.  In addition, bypasses would encourage increased use of the corridor in the long term, which would only exacerbate the existing environmental and social impact.
• “De-priming” – The A338/A346 corridor currently formed part of the National Primary Route Network.  As such, it was not possible to impose weight/width/length or night-time restrictions on the roads.  If the route were to be removed from the Primary Route Network, then such restrictions would be possible. 

Councillor Howard advised that the Working Group’s preferred option was to apply to the Department for Transport for the A338/A346 corridor to be de-primed, and that the Area Board’s support for this approach was now sought.  It was emphasised that further studies/consultation would be required prior to any restrictions being imposed.

The Chairman thanked Councillor Howard for his presentation and welcomed to the meeting Allan Creedy, Transport and Development Manager, and Councillor Richard Gamble, who was present in his capacity as Portfolio Holder for Public Transport.  At the Chairman’s invitation, comments and questions were raised as follows:

• De-priming was a relatively rare approach, and involved a fairly bureaucratic and resource-intensive process.  The (DFT will consider, need reason and alternative route etc).
• Concern was expressed regarding the potential impact that de-priming or alternative measures would have on the A345 and other routes.
• It was suggested that liaison with SatNav developers could be a mechanism to reduce through traffic.  Councillor Howard, commented that this had been considered by the working group, and that mapping overlays would take a long time to be updated.

Following discussion, Councillor Stuart Wheeler moved a motion which was seconded by Councillor Jerry Kunkler.

Decision

It was agreed that:

1.            The report be noted and the Working Group be thanked for their hard work in undertaking the review.

2.            Pewsey Area Board acknowledges the problem of the high level of LGV traffic on the A338/A346 corridor and supports the principle of addressing the issue.

3.            Pewsey Area Board recommends to Cabinet that a full review of LGV traffic on the corridor be undertaken, to develop a range of solutions to protect the community from the impact of LGVs, which might include de-priming.

4.            Any such review should also consider the potential adverse impact of the solutions identified, particularly the risk of increased traffic on the A345.

The Chairman called for a show of hands on the above motion, and the majority of those in attendance at the meeting supported the Board’s decision.