Report to:                   Lead Member for Transport and Environment

Date of meeting:        20 September 2021

By:                               Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

Title:                            Safety concerns at the junction of Nursery Lane and A22, Nutley

Purpose:                     To consider a petition requesting road safety measures at the junction for the residents of Nursery Lane

RECOMMENDATIONS: The Lead Member is recommended to advise the petitioners that:

1) The junction has not been identified as a priority for the Road Safety Team and did not meet the benchmark score for consideration of improvements and footway widening as part of the Capital Programme for Transport improvements;

2) Potential improvements at the site could be considered by the Parish Council requesting a Feasibility Study and using the Community Match Initiative;

3) The existing junction warning signs on the A22 have lost their reflectivity and will be replaced with new junction warning signs; and

4) A bollard or parking restrictions at this location would not be appropriate or supported.

1          Background

1.1       At the County Council meeting on 25 May 2021 a petition was presented to the Chairman by Councillor Roy Galley on behalf of residents concerned about safety issues at the junction of Nursery Lane with the A22 at Nutley. The residents’ concerns include:

· concealed junction and speeding traffic approaching from the A22

· obstructive parking at the top of the junction, restricting the view when exiting the Lane onto the A22

· Pedestrian safety outside the shop

· Improved signing for the junction

1.2       A copy of the petition is available in the Members’ Room. Standing Orders provide that where the Chairman considers it appropriate, petitions are considered by the relevant Committee or Lead Member and a spokesperson for the petitioners is invited to address the Committee. The Chairman has referred this petition to the Lead Member for Transport and Environment.

2          Supporting information

2.1       The A22 runs north to south across the County. The average annual daily two-way traffic flow through Nutley is 10,620 vehicles (2020 figures). A Location Plan is included in Appendix 1.

2.2       Nursery Lane is an unadopted public highway that joins with Clockhouse Lane. The public have a right of access, but the lane is not maintained by the Highway Authority. The village shop is located just to the south of the junction of the A22 and Nursery Lane, on the eastern side.

2.3 The Road Safety Team uses a three-year crash record assessment period to prioritise its work. This helps to ensure our resources are targeted at locations that are experiencing the largest number of personal injury crashes (PIC’s) and allows us to monitor our road safetywork effectively. This approach is based on national guidance and best practice. Sussex Police crash data indicates that there have been no personal injury crashes recorded in the vicinity of the Nursey Lane junction in the latest three-year period (note: the ten-year crash record at this junction is one PIC, that was not related to vehicle movements at the junction).

2.4 In 2020, following a request, the Road Safety team considered the installation of a bollard to deter drivers cutting across the junction when parking outside of the village shop. This was not progressed as a bollard may cause vehicles approaching from the north difficulties when manoeuvering into the parking spaces. It was also considered that vehicles may take to parking on the junction side of a bollard, causing an obstruction and visibility issue where presently this is not a problem.

2.5 Visibility exiting Nursery Lane is restricted to the north by the properties fronting the A22. To the south, visibility can be obstructed if vehicles are parked in front of the village shop. To prevent parking here would require parking restrictions, such as double yellow lines, which would apply to the area of public highway behind the markings as well as on the road itself.

2.6 The enforcement of parking restrictions within this area remains the responsibility of Sussex Police as it is not within a Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) area. Sussex Police have publicly stated that they are no longer able to provide routine enforcement of parking restrictions in non-CPE areas. It would therefore not be appropriate to commit our limited funding to progress parking restrictions at locations that do not have an identified crash record.  Requests for parking restrictions in non-CPE areas are held on file to be considered should Civil Parking Enforcement be adopted.

2.7 The lack of visibility at the junction and the good crash record suggests that drivers are using extra care and caution on entering the A22.

2.8 There is a limited amount of funding to develop local transport improvements and these need to be targeted to those schemes which will be of greatest benefit to local communities. To help the Council prioritise the numerous requests for improvements,  it developed a process to determine which schemes should be funded through the Council’s  Integrated Transport Programme. The request for a potential scheme to implement some form of traffic management measures at this location has been assessed to determine if it might be considered further. However, the assessment did not achieve the benchmark score to enable it to be taken forward at the present time.

2.9 As funding for any potential scheme at this location cannot be provided by the County Council,  the petitioners may wish to consider part funding a scheme through the Community Match Initiative. A Feasibility Study, at a cost of £500 plus VAT could be requested through East Sussex Highways to identify possible measures at this location. It is suggested that Maresfield Parish Council could be the lead in requesting this on behalf of the petitioners.

2.10 The condition of the existing warning signs on the A22, in advance of the junction, is such that they would benefit from renewal.  As they have lost their reflectivity they will be replaced with new junction warning signs. This will be arranged by the Road Safety Team as part of their day to day programme of minor improvements.

3.         Conclusion and reasons for recommendations

3.1    It is recommended that the petitioners be advised that this location is not an identified priority for the County Council and it does not meet the criteria requirements to be considered for further investigation as part of the County Council’s capital programme.

3.2   It is recommended that the petitioners be advised to contact Maresfield Parish Council to see if they would support a Feasibility Study in to whether  any measures could be considered for part funding through the Community Match initiative.

3.3   It is recommended that the petitioners be advised that the Road Safety Team have agreed to replace the existing junction warning signs on the A22.

3.4  It is recommended that the petitioners be advised that a bollard or parking restrictions would not be appropriate or supported at this location for the reasons detailed in this report.

RUPERT CLUBB

Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

Contact Officer: Kelly Burr
Tel.No. 01273 482824

Email: kelly.burr@eastsussex.gov.uk

LOCAL MEMBER:

Councillor Roy Galley

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS:

None