Agenda item

Those in attendance will have the opportunity to partake in a Q&A session coordinated by the Area Board Chairman.

A question-and-answer session took place coordinated by the Area Board Chairman. Questions raised included:

Question – Resident: In isolation, the statistics included within the PCC presentation looked impressive but recently a traffic survey took place in Silver Street which showed that circa 400 drivers a day were exceeding the 30mph speed limit. Not enough is being done to tackle speeding.

Response: It is difficult for the police to be everywhere with resources. There is a process that can take place if a community does have a perception of speeding, with the first step being the Council undertaking a road survey, which if it gets to a certain level could require speeding education. The next step would then be to form a Community Speed Watch group using speed indication devices (SIDs).

Question – Resident: The road traffic survey took place and residents don’t feel as if the speeding is acceptable to be tolerated, where is the line drawn? It is appreciated that there is only a certain budget and capability, however, there has to be a reality check from residents with the council held accountable to what residents are living with every day.

Response: When the traffic survey is exceeded, that is when speed watch takes action. If there is a specific issue, residents are encouraged to report to the PCC and they will then attend the area when they can in partnership. From this, the PCC will work out how best to educate those offending.

Question – Resident: Circa400 people exceed the speed limit every day in Silver Street and the footways are narrow, with it not safe to walk on the streets. The criteria of the checks are of no relevance to the residents of this area and someone needs to question this and the total number of people speeding involved rather than a percentage.

Response: Wiltshire Council is an evidence led authority and with the traffic survey recently conducted, the Council is working with Warminster Town Council to investigate what can be done and will return back to residents with a pathway for intervention in due course.

Question – Resident: 12 years ago, Wiltshire Council took the decision not to continue to use speed cameras, which have since laid dormant. Is there a plan to use them again as there could be huge revenue benefits, for example Dorset have used cameras on mass and speeding levels have reduced.

Response: The cameras mentioned are static speed cameras and with technology improving all the time, there is a need for a balanced approach. Officers are not supportive of static speed cameras as when drivers see these they tend to slow down and then return to speeding thereafter. The Council is working through Speed Watch and investment in technology, with the recommendation that investment doesn’t take place into static speed cameras. Recently at a road safety conference there was a demonstration of an AI camera system which was able to take photos of offenders using mobile phones and not wearing seatbelts. Wiltshire Police is interested in trialling such technology; however, such technology comes at a cost. Communities are encouraged to use SIDs, which are effective at recording problems with speeding with data able to be fed into the police, who can then target problem areas for enforcement.

Question – Resident: In Corsley, there is a problem with speeding and the Parish Council have been trying for several years to get the 40mph speed limit reduced. Numerous speed surveys have been conducted with Wiltshire Council however the results are always under the threshold to act. Two years ago, the parish got a SID, which consistently shows 25% of road users travelling at 40mph and one road user in particular travelling at 90mph. The criteria used by Wiltshire Council measures speed and the number of vehicles but only considers the top percentage of speeding vehicles and not the slow-moving ones. Why does Wiltshire Council have to use this national formula?

Response: Regarding speeding assessments, work is being conducted with officers to review the Department for Transport guidelines on speed limit assessments. It is a Wiltshire Council policy to use these guidelines, which have been built over years of experience and are used to support consistency. These guidelines have many facets within them and there is an opportunity to pay attention to other elements within these guidelines than currently, with options for speed limits to be lower than they are. Work is being conducted to look at how Department for Transport guidelines are used to get closer to the consensus of local people whilst remaining consistent and safe. It was recommended that the details of the individual travelling 90mph be passed onto Perry Payne and the PCC for investigation.

Question – Cllr Christopher Newbury: In the last year there have been complaints about a Parish Steward, with Wiltshire Council aware of the complaints. It was stated that the job of the Parish Steward is critical to the reputation of the Highways Authority in villages. It was expressed that senior officers investigate these complaints and the individual.

Response: This issue would be taken away.

Question – Resident: In Chapmanslade, the RTP process is going ahead, and the three villages thank the Council for their on-going work with the freight problems. The previous RTP had the same challenges which were listed within the presentation made by officers. Will these areas remain challenges or what will Wiltshire Council do to make them results?

Response: This question was received via email and will receive a written answer in due course. When comparing the challenges in the RTP to urban areas in Bath and Bristol, the challenges faced will broadly speaking always be similar. There will however be other impacts on these such as cargo and climate. Some of the challenges will remain, however there will be variants based on the work which can be done based on the data behind them. Work on electric vehicle charging and carbon production will present significant issues for the Local Transport Plan and the toolkit produced will aim to work towards them.

Question – Resident: Residents of Maiden Bradley are grateful for the engagement of the Council regarding the freight issues and look forward towards the end of the year. Over the last year, HGVs have increased in heigh and length which must have led to a weight increase. B roads are not built for these so this will undoubtedly lead to more accidents and repairs. How are Wiltshire Council preparing for this increase?

Response: Part of the solution is ensuring that the right vehicles are on the right road at the right time. The Freight Strategy is a key document with work taking place with adjacent authorities for the freight network with a policy approach towards enforcement. Ongoing discussions are also taking place with additional investment into the network for preventative work. Prioritisation needs to take place to take a step towards ensuring the funding is used as well as it can be, with the Council set to return to Area Boards to give them an opportunity to speak.  The three villages is an interesting case study for the problem of freight and considering the Council’s own Freight Strategy. Recently a meeting took place with a quarry manager and freight logistic companies,

Question – Resident: Could the Wiltshire Council Planning and Highways departments work closer together? For example, if large houses apply for infill applications in their gardens, Wiltshire Council can permit such developments with conditions and can then look to developers to consider the surrounding roads. Recently a large, detached house was knocked down and replaced by three new builds, with rubble and building materials having to be taken down a road which has now become a mess with potholes.

Response: In the budget being taken to Full Council, extra money has been proposed for funding enforcement officers within the planning function as the Council has suffered from not having enough enforcement after applying conditions. The departments within the Council do work closely together with the Planning and Highways teams sitting on the same office floor. With planning, the Council is bound by guidelines, which puts them in a difficult position with conditions, especially when applications can be taken to appeal whilst incurring additional costs. There is a provision within the Highways Act which enables the recovery of costs of undue damage to roads, if the Council can prove that damage has been directly caused by an individual.

Question – Resident: Is there a plan to start to have enforcement checks on heavy vehicle drivers to check if they are exceeding the 7.5tonne weight restriction within Warminster town centre?

Response: The PCC is not ware of checks in this area, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be done, therefore Perry Payne would take the issue away for investigation. Wiltshire Council have applied for the use of ANPR technology this year to support the enforcement of moving traffic offences with cameras set to be sited in hotpots which would have an automated process of issuing fixed penalty notices.

Question – Cllr Christopher Newbury: It has been heard that weight limits can only be enforced when someone is able to observe a vehicle pass all the way through a weight limited area, however they might be using the route for access. How could a camera be used to evidence this?

Response: There would have to be more than one camera on the on a road with a weight restriction to time the entry and exit of a vehicle. If a journey was to take a longer period, this would suggest that a vehicle had stopped for access and would therefore be exempt; if a journey had a fast time there would be an assumption that the weight limit had been abused. Such technology does however come at a cost of around £20,000 per camera, however the Council is keen to invest in cameras which can be moved to multiple locations.

Question – Resident: With the sad loss of Jane Hunt last year on a Wiltshire Road, does the Transport Team understand the number of horses on lanes, as Corsley has 12 stables and almost weekly there are reports of near misses and people driving badly around horses, bikes, and pedestrians.

Response: The Council is aware of this being a rural county and the main issue here is driver behaviour. The Council must balance a range of users on the roads and must make sure people take responsible for their actions, with the Council committed to communication and education. The Police ran Operation Close Pass, which involved a horse walking up and down an area, if anyone drives past in an aggressive manner there is a Police car waiting and will pull them over. The issue with such an operation is that the rider is at risk and there are no Police horses in Wiltshire, therefore it costs £1,000 a day to loan a horse.

Question - Resident: To save some money on the cost of ANPR cameras, it could be possible to only have one camera to monitor weight limits as this camera could be used to check a driver’s digital card for a time and motion through the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA).

Response: The resident was thanked for this suggestion and that it would be taken away for consideration.

Question – Resident: Warminster has seen an increase in building, which has seen more cars on the road as well as HGVs. Places such as Southampton have reduced their central speed limit to 20mph to reduce the effects on air quality. Is this something that Warminster could look at for air quality reasons and is there any funding towards electrical charging points within the town?

Response: There is a clear policy for speed reduction and the route for this is through the LHFIG as it is important to show local consensus. Electrical vehicle charging is already in implementation and government funding has been received, with the forward work plan currently being worked through. There are challenges in the capacity and resource to deliver as well as balancing the use of the road network for all users.

Question – Resident: If it is acceptable to have traffic calming in George Street, what is the rationale for refusing to have it in Silver Street?

Response: This would be taken away for a response.

Question – Cllr Andrew Davis: Gratitude was placed towards the Cabinet Member and officers for attending the meeting. It was questioned how long it would take for a speed assessment to take place and lead to change?

Response: Typically, it takes 18 months for a speed limit assessment to take place and then lead to change. When the weather improves and officers have more time, there is a view to looking at how this process is managed to make it more effective.

Question – Cllr Andrew Davis: Can clarity be provided on the filling of potholes on estate roads.

Response: The filling of potholes on estate roads depends on whether the roads are adopted or not. If the road is adopted, then potholes can be reported.

Question – Cllr Andrew Davis: When can residents expect gullies to be emptied after flooding?

Response: There is a schedule of maintenance with gullies on A and B roads to be emptied annually and the rest of the roads emptied every three years. If reports come into the back-office team, these are then prioritised to get tankers out as efficiently as possible.

Question – Cllr Andrew Davis: How long does it take for a streetlight to be repaired?

Response: There is a clear timeline for repairs, and this will be signposted within a written response on the website.