At long last a start is being made to consider safety improvements to this narrow access road to the two Schools. This trail barrier is to test how effective a permanent gateway at the entrance to the two Schools might be with parents being able to use nearby car parks and walking to the Schools. This is the first action arising from the recently agreed St Andrew’s Primary School Travel Plan which identified a number of walking routes to school that needed safety improvements if pupils were to be encouraged to walk rather than go in the family car.
This particular action will hopefully lead to the approval of a permanent gateway which should then reduce car traffic going in/out of the School grounds. At present with cars parked on one side of the access road some drivers leaving the schools mount the kerb, putting children at risk, to avoid waiting for a gap in the traffic going into the schools.
At tomorrow’s trial barrier test staff from both Schools, traffic engineering officers, a Neighbourhood Warden, the Police, Safe Routes to School staff, Primary School Governors, Steyning Leisure Centre staff and me will be present at various points to observe the impact of the barrier and talk to any parents about their views on the barrier.
There will be leaflets promoting alternative parking places and the reason for the barrier trial which will be given to anyone who enters the spur road who shouldn’t.
The overall aim is to work with parents to improve the safety and so if parents are unhappy with the trail they need to be informed that this trail has come about due to the feedback obtained from parents through the school travel plan. Feedback forms will go out to all parents at St AndrewsPrimary School on Friday evening.
The Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for this 20 mph limit was discussed at the Parish Council meeting last night, and it was agreed that the County Council should press ahead with the current TRO proposal which is presently top of the priority list for such works in 2009/10.
It was, however, felt that as part of the detailed design for the TRO there is a need to review the state of the road humps some of which need maintenance, and to consider the removal of one or two - especially the one near St Mary’s House. It is hoped these remedial works can be taken into account once the TRO works for this year have been confirmed by the CLC.
The next Parish Council meeting takes place tomorrow evening, starting at 7.30pm in the Bramber & Beeding Village Hall.
Items on the agenda include a presentation from Alex Gander of Horsham District Council on the new waste collection service which will start next week in the Bramber, Small Dole, Steyning and Upper Beeding area.
My County Councillor’s report to the Parish Council will refer to the next meeting of the Chanctonbury County Local Committee (CLC), which will be on 15 July in Steyning. The CLC will be considering the officers recommendation to approve a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for the new Bramber Road puffin crossing at the Goring Road/Bostal Road junction.
The CLC will also be considering the priority order for other TROs’ to be carried out during 2009/10. Currently the top three on the officers list are all in the Bramber Castle Division (20 mph limit for The Street, Bramber, parking restrictions in the narrow part of Newham Close near junction with Newham Lane, Steyning, and parking restrictions in Hyde Lane/Pound Lane, Upper Beeding). I and the other three Chanctonbury County Councillors will be visiting all the possible TRO sites on 10 July to enable us to decide the priority order for works in 2009/10.
I will also be updating the Parish Council on the latest information regarding the temporary closure of the Bramber & Beeding Bridge for up to two weeks from 27 July. This has been reported previously on this website but I hope to have further information about the bus companies proposals to continue a bus service for local residents whilst the Bridge is closed.
The Parish Council will also be considering whether it wishes to see any of the existing road humps in The Street removed as part of the 20 mph TRO scheme. This would increase costs and might involve the introduction of other traffic management measures to ensure the criteria for a 20 mph limit continues to be met.
I am supporting calls from cyclists for Steyning Parish Council to replace the cycle parking facilities removed when the public toilets were recently improved.
Apart from the need for such facilities for local people, cycle groups visiting the Town now have nowhere to park their bikes whilst stopping for a bite to eat and a drink or to visit our local attractions.
The Parish Clerk has informed me that this matter is still being discussed, and the Highways & Lighting Committee is trying to identify the most suitable area to place the cycle stands in the High Street Car Park. She has assured me that the need for replacement cycle parking will be raised again at the next meeting of the Committee.
A leading Parish Councillor has informed me that other possible locations in the Town have also been previously identified by the Council, and he considers that provision for cycle parking should also be made as part of the re-marking of Newmans Gardens Car Park.
Hopefully the Parish Council will now resolve this issue soon to ensure Steyning continues to attract visitors to our local tearooms, shops and attractions, whether travelling here by foot, cycle, on a bus or in a car.
I understand that the consultation on the Membership of the National Park Authority (NPA) has not yet started but it should start in the next few weeks.
The County Council was originally told it would start in May but Defra did not have an Officer in post to lead on the transition to the NPA. It will then last for 12 weeks. Defra are holding the consultation and have agreed to consult with all stakeholders. This is expected to include all the Parish Councils or at least the Association of PCs as the Parish Councils are to be represented on the NPA.
Defra have also agreed to attend local meetings and answer questions on the process of setting up the NP and the NPA. Their timetable for these is not yet known but will be published as soon as it is.
Upper Beeding/Bramber Bridge is to undergo repairs to the brickwork to the parapets and trial holes will be dug to identify the fill material to the Bridge as part of the ongoing assessment programme.
The Scheme is currently scheduled to run for up to 2 weeks.Following discussions between me and Andrew Purches (Chairman of Upper Beeding Parish Council Planning Committee) and with the county officers involved, the work has been delayed from early July and is now planned to start from week commencing 27th July 2009.
To allow the works to be undertaken in the safest possible manner for the workforce and motorists, the road will need to be closed for the duration of the works.The closure will be in place at either end of the Bridge.To ensure minimum disruption, after works are finished each day from around 5pm through to 7am the following day, the carriageway over the bridge will be open to all users. The bridge will remain closed, however, for 24 hours upon completion of the trial holes to allow the surfacing reinstatement to set. This work is currently planned for the 27th July.I have also been assured, that pedestrian traffic is to be maintained at all times via the footbridge adjacent to the road bridge
The delay means that the work will now start during the school holidays, and so avoid the problems which would have been created from the diversion of school buses. I am still awaiting to hear from the bus companies about the arrangements they will be making to ensure the least inconvenience to bus users living in Upper Beeding and Bramber.
Work will generally take place from 7.30 am to 5pm, Monday to Friday only and during the time the road is closed a signed diversion will be in place.The diversion route for affected eastbound traffic will be via A283 Steyning By-pass and A2037 Shoreham Road and vice-versa for westbound traffic.
The work will be undertaken by West Sussex Highways on behalf of West Sussex County Council. Kieran Dodds, a Senior Engineer, will supervise the works on site, so should you need to contact him during the course of the works please call 01243 642105. He should also be contacted now if people feel the work is likely to cause a problem for members of their household which could be helped by special arrangements, e.g. for wheelchair users, less mobile or visually impaired people, or for special deliveries which might be expected during the period of the works.
