Agenda item

To receive presentations that will cover topics such as the strategic business plan priorities, maintenance, LTP, congestion, public transport, and air quality.

The Area Board received a presentation from Sam Howell (Director Highways and Transport), Dave Thomas (Head of Highways Asset Management and Comms) and Cllr Caroline Thomas (Cabinet Member for Transport, Street Scene, and Flooding). The presentation covered, but was not limited to, the following matters:

Introduction:

·       An overview of the Wiltshire transport context was provided, including how the highway network represented the Council’s largest and most valuable public asset with a replacement value of over £5billion including over 2,8000 miles of road.

·       The relation of Highways and Transport to the Wiltshire Council Business Plan was outlined.

·       Statistics were provided regarding asset management, including statistics of how many parts of the asset needed to be maintained.

Investment in the Network:

·       An overview of the funding available to Highways maintenance was outlined, including that there was a Highways Maintenance fund of £21million, which was topped up by additional funds, such as an additional £3.6million pothole fund.

·       Other additional sources of funding top ups were covered, including additional investment from Wiltshire Council and further Government funding to span a two-year period.

·       It was noted that as a local authority, Wiltshire was robust and had a preventative eye with the importance of prioritising issued outlined.

The Local Transport Plan:

·       The importance of having a Local Transport Plan was outlined, with it setting a framework for maintaining and improving transport in Wiltshire.

·       The importance of the Local Transport Plan aligning with the Local Plan Review to help deliver Wiltshire Council’s Business Plan priorities was stated, with key themes identified including decarbonisation, freight, and active travel.

·       It was noted that there would be plenty of opportunities to be involved in the consultation of the Local Transport Plan.

Public Transport Review:

·       An overview was provided regarding the public transport review, which would aim to shape the future bus policy as well as priorities for support.

·       The consultation timeframe, which ended on 10 November 2023, was outlined as well as that there had been over 1,000 responses.

·       The aim was for a new policy and network to be implemented from April 2024.

Highways Maintenance:

·       It was outlined that the Council has three different approaches to maintenance:

o   Reactive Maintenance - Responding to issues as they arise, such as repairing potholes or replacing damaged signs.

o   Planned Maintenance - Scheduling regular maintenance tasks to prevent issues from arising in the first place or getting worse.

o   Asset Maintenance - Taking a long-term view of highways maintenance and involves evaluating the condition of roads and infrastructure and prioritizing maintenance tasks based on factors like condition, safety, cost, and rate of deterioration.

·       An overview of benchmarking for Highways was provided following a 2022 South West Road condition scanner survey, with Wiltshire in a good position compared to other local authorities. Furthermore, it was noted that this data was used to prioritise investment.

·       An explanation of why so many potholes have occurred was provided as well as detail regarding interim and permanent repairs.

·       It was noted that officers have a defect dashboard which enables them to monitor real time data relating to reported and completed defects by area.

·       Work regarding flood prevention was outlined, with it noted that the gullies of A and B roads are emptied annually with 5,500 gullies classed as high risk.

Local Highway & Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG) – Cllr David Vigar:

·       The role and makeup of the Trowbridge LHFIG was outlined as well as areas which they could fund.

·       It was stated that currently the Trowbridge LHFIG has 25 live projects with a budget of £36,600.

·       An overview of completed small-scale transport schemes was outlined including work in the Lambrok, Grove and Leap Gate areas. It was stated that work in Manor Road and Woodmarsh was currently on the agenda.

Parish Stewards:

·       The role of Parish Stewards was outlined, with it noted that there is 18 Parish Stewards, one for each area, who work with representatives in their parishes to ensure all work requests are clear and are logged for review before they start the work.

Verge and litter clearance:

·       It was outlined that grounds maintenance and street cleansing in the Trowbridge town and surrounding area was the responsibility of the Town Council.

·       The surrounding area was the responsibility of Wiltshire Council, who had received an extra investment of £0.3m this year.

·       Enforcement resources were being increased to tackle the issues of fly tipping and rural littering.

·       The following Wiltshire Council campaigns were outlined 'We're Targeting Fly-Tippers' and 'Don’t Mess with Wiltshire'.

The Area Board received a presentation from Perry Payne (Road Safety Partnership Manager, OPCC). The presentation covered, but was not limited to, the following matters:

Partnership Work and Community Road Safety Team:

·       The role of Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership working was outlined.

·       It was stated that the PCC had recently recruited Perry Payne as the new Road Safety Partnership Manager, who would work with partner organisations to conduct work.

·       An overview of the work conducted by the Community Road Safety Team was provided.

Community Speed Watch in the Trowbridge Area:

·       The role of the Community Speed Watch Team in the Trowbridge area was discussed, with data from July 2020 to January 2024 provided, including that a total of 3,666 letters had been provided to offenders.

·       The role of Traffic Surveys was discussed, with 3 areas in Trowbridge recognised as needing speed education.

Roads Policing Unit:

·       The role of the Roads Policing Unit was discussed, with previous examples of their enforcement work cited with 1,800 tickets issued to motorists for road related offences.

Community Speed Enforcement Officers:

·       The role of Community Speed Enforcement Officers was outlined, with it noted that though these were not police officers they do have power for enforcement.

·       County-wide statistics from January 2023 to January 2024 were provided, this included a breakdown of the Trowbridge area, where 140 speed awareness courses had been issued, 17 fines and points, and 1 court involvement.