The Chairman will invite any remaining questions from Partners, Town/Parish Council representatives or the floor.
Minutes:
The Chairman invited any other questions from those present. These were:
1. Dinton Parish Councillor Charles Smith informed the Board that at the east end of Dinton, where the new houses had been built, a pedestrian refuge had been installed on the road. It had been established that a number of vehicles had been travelling through on the wrong side of the road, and at great speed. Recent figures from a metro count had shown that 105 vehicles had passed through on the wrong side, within a three week period.
The Transport Policy Officer had already been contacted and had suggested that they invite the Police to the site, to stop the vehicles and re-educate the drivers.
The Parish had also suggested the implementation of white lines to the highways department, but had been told that it was not possible.
An average of five cars a day were travelling through at speed, with the highest speed being recorded at 81mph, in a 30mph zone. It was felt that something had to be done.
Inspector David Minty agreed that the speeds recorded seemed excessive considering the 30mph limit, and said that he would talk to the relevant Sector Commander, Inspector David McMullin, to establish whether they would be able to come out to the site to take a look at the road where the refuge has been implemented. However, he added that their visit would not act as a cure to the problem as it sounded like the design was at fault.
Councillor Toby Sturgis added that incidents like the one discussed required everyone coming together to resolve the problem. He agreed to arrange such a meeting, between the Highways department and other interested parties to establish whether something could be done to improve the situation, as he too thought it sounded like the design was not quite right.
Decision
Councillor Toby Sturgis would arrange a meeting between the Parish Council, Highways Department and other interested parties to find a way forward in resolving the problem in Dinton.
2. Wilton Town Councillor Phil Matthews expressed his concern over the recent withdrawal of all NHS Wiltshire representatives from attending Area Board meetings until after the election period. He felt that their attendance at the Area Board was not for political reasons, but for an information sharing purpose.
The Board noted the statements above.
3. Inspector David Minty, Wiltshire Police gave an update to the Board. Points covered were:
· At the end of the financial year, reported crime in Mere was up by 8 and down by 31 in Tisbury. Reported crimes in Wilton were down by 130.
· Burglaries were down across the whole area, but prevention was the key to keeping burglary figures to a minimum.
· Two people had been caught in connection with the post office burglaries and were currently out on bail, pending further evidence gathering.
Inspector Minty thanked the local people and groups like the Neighbourhood watch for their assistance in reporting crime, and he thanked PC Andy Fell as he was the officer who had caught the two suspects in connection with the post office burglaries.
Inspector Minty urged people to spread the word that over the summer valuables should not be left in vehicles whilst unattended, especially at beauty spots, as it could attract criminals.