UPDATE ON THE 1^ST PROPOSAL SPEED LIMIT CHANGES

25^TH FEBRUARY 2025

After a number of phone calls and emails Cllrs McPherson and Richards were informed that an agreed meeting was arranged on 16th January 2025 to walk around Longwick village and the hamlets with the Cabinet Minister for Transport and the Network Transport Team Leader plus Buckinghamshire Cllrs Matthew Walsh and Alan Turner to show them all the proposals we had put forward to reduce traffic speeding in the village and hamlets which we felt were not taken into account.

It was a successful meeting and we managed to agree on providing more reduction of speed limits if a wider look at roundabouts or crossing are implemented but this will be down to Highways and not the Parish Council.

Notes provided by Cabinet Minister for Transport and the Network Transport Team Leader

1. Stockwell Lane - enhanced gateway markings to increase awareness of change in speed limit and environment. Measures for consideration include "Dragon's Teeth" road markings and speed limit roundel. Reapply the central line from the gateway to the slow road marking and warning sign at the property known as Ashmead.

Change the warning sign at this location from junction ahead to junction on bend ahead. Cut back foliage where necessary. Once these measures have been put in place we should collect speed data to determine their effectiveness. This could indicate the potential success of relocating the change in speed limit further away from the current location.

2. Roundabout/Petrol Station.

We have raised the subject with colleagues in strategy who will work to coordinate any future developer contributions to provide a shared use facility to the east of the roundabout. A change in speed limit alone will not appreciably reduce risk at this roundabout - the key issue is that vehicles can travel through the junction at speeds (well below the posted limit) which do not appear to provide sufficient gaps in traffic for pedestrians to use the existing uncontrolled crossing point on the northern arm and also cause difficulty for vehicles exiting the petrol station. These gaps are calculated based on pedestrians crossing the entire width of the northern arm in one stage.

Geometric changes could be made to the layout of the roundabout (changes to kerb line or the kerbs around the central island) to reduce the speeds through the roundabout and/or changes could be made to provide a compliant pedestrian refuge which would allow pedestrians to cross this arm.

Either of these options would require a review of the existing geometry of the roundabout, which could be a desktop review to determine what changes could be implemented taking account of traffic flow, traffic type and swept paths required e.g. agricultural vehicles.

This is the level of detail we would have to go to, to determine what measures would effectively slow traffic through the roundabout to offer pedestrians sufficient gaps to cross.

This would potentially have the added benefit of acting as a (more) effective traffic disrupter and would likely support a reduction in the speed limit on the approaches.

Recommendation to commission a desktop review of the roundabout geometry to determine what changes could be made to manage traffic speeds through the junction.

3. Approach toward Longwick overbridge B4009:

Review and enhance signs associated with reduced headroom and likely path of high on coming vehicles at the rail bridge. Removal of centre line on the immediate approaches to the bridge to reinforce the narrowness and path oncoming vehicles are likely to take. Cut back of foliage/tree growth etc to improve visibility of bridge. Highways will engage with Network Rail towards improving signage on the rail bridge.

Enhance markings between the village gates and 40 mph to the commencement of 30 mph at the current signpost.

4. East Bound approach A4129.

Enhanced gateway markings and village signs to increase awareness of change in speed limit and change in environment. Measures for consideration include "Dragons Teeth" road markings and speed limit roundel.