ITM Statement of Reasons – build out
Parish Council role in the Wiltshire Council Order for One Way Traffic and a pedestrian buildout on High Street, Fovant.
We have worked hard with Highways Engineers on an affordable scheme to improve pedestrian safety at this junction.
Road safety for traffic and pedestrians has long been a priority for Fovant Parish Council (FPC). From 2011 to 2014 there were extensive discussions about improving safety on the A30. Involved were FPC, the Fovant Road Safety Group, individual Fovant residents – including at properties that had suffered damage at the junction with High St – and Wiltshire Council Highways Engineers. This resulted in the creation of the 30 mph limit on the A30. Since then, the close working relationship between the Parish Council and the Highways Engineer who advises the Area Board in its democratic process on road safety has already led to other road safety improvements in the village: notably the speed limit on all internal village roads being reduced from 30 to 20 mph, purchase of five Speed Indicator Devices, and bollards at locations where pedestrians are at particularly high risk.
A safety issue that has become particularly worrying – increasingly so during and since the COVID-19 lockdown – is the danger to pedestrians crossing between the A30 and High Street along the side of the property The Forge. For essential and recreational reasons the numbers of pedestrians have increased; as well as a greater volume of traffic especially delivery vans entering High St from the Shaftesbury direction – much of that not slowing sufficiently into the 20 mph limit. After site visits and discussions with the Highways Engineer, this site was formally registered in November 2020 as a safety project for consideration by the 38 parishes of the Area Board. The Parish Council paid for a camera survey of the volume and routes of traffic around the junction. This confirmed that a surprising number of vehicles leaving High Street made U turns around the triangle island. The Engineer agreed with us that any safety related improvements at the junction must allow U-turns, and that the pavement around The Greater Good pub into High Street must be kept.
The design suggested by the Highways Engineer was for a buildout footway along the boundary of the Forge provide a safe route for pedestrians. Also, by increasing the curve into High St from the Shaftesbury direction this would force larger vehicles to slow down to the required 20 mph. The space available meant that the entry into High St would have to become one-way, but this would have an advantage of preventing the occasional conflict between vehicles wishing to enter and leave at the same time. Other possibilities such as traffic lights were quickly ruled out on grounds of cost.
While waiting in the safety projects queue of the Area Board, the Parish Councill decided to confirm public views on the Engineer’s scheme by setting up a Working Group. Thirteen residents living near the junction or known to have expressed views in the past were approached. They were sent an outline of the history at the junction, as well as the professional calculations and drawings provided by the Highways Engineer team. The Group was chaired by a Councillor, who did not express any personal opinion. Written comments were received from ten residents. All but one were in favour of the potential improvement in safety. One of those however also expressed concerns that very large vehicles for example with trailers would find it difficult to turn right when leaving High St from the side by the Greater Good. The remaining resident was unconvinced that the plans would solve any problems or increase pedestrian safety. The results of the consultation were presented in full to the Parish Council, which confirmed its support for the scheme and passed the consultation results to the Highways Engineer as further evidence of local support.
The Area Boord supported the scheme, but knowing that the cost would have exceeded the Board’s limited discretionary budget they submitted a grant application to the County Substantive Highways Scheme, which ranks bids on grounds of benefit and deliverability. Fovant’s request for an additional £21,754 was one of eight approved for the year across the County, totalling £217,000.