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Report to:
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Lead Member for
Transport and Environment
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Date of
meeting:
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23 September
2024
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By:
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Director of
Communities, Economy and Transport
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Title:
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Petition for the
construction of a pedestrian crossing on the B2096 Battle Road
outside Punnetts Town Community Primary School
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Purpose:
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To consider the
petition asking that the County Council constructs a pedestrian
crossing on the B2096 Battle Road outside Punnetts Town Community
Primary School to assist children to safely cross the road from the
car park to the school.
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RECOMMENDATIONS: The
Lead Member is recommended to advise petitioners that:
(1)
A potential scheme to provide a formal pedestrian crossing
facility outside of Punnetts Town Community Primary School has been
assessed through the approved High Level Sift process but has not
met the necessary benchmark score to be considered for detailed
appraisal and possible inclusion for funding within the Capital
Programme;
(2)
Whilst
the provision of a formal pedestrian crossing facility outside of
Punnetts Town Community Primary School is not a priority for
funding by the County Council at this time, the County Council
could support a potential scheme if an external source of funding
is identified; and
(3)
The County Council
will continue to assist the school and local community with
recruitment for the vacant School Crossing Patrol post and will
provide full training, uniform and equipment to a successful
applicant.
1
Background Information
1.1. At
the County Council meeting on 7 May 2024, a petition was presented
to the Chairman by Councillor Bowdler on behalf of a group of
residents and parents/carers from the Punnetts Town Community
Primary School area. The petitioners have requested that the County
Council construct a pedestrian crossing on the B2096 Battle Road
outside of Punnetts Town Community Primary School to assist
children to safely cross the road between the car park and the
school.
1.2.
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. A copy of the
petition is available in the Members’ Room.
1.3.
The village of Punnetts Town is located on
the B2096 between the towns of Heathfield and Battle and falls
within two Parish Boundaries, that of
Warbleton and Heathfield and Waldron. Punnetts Town Community
Primary School is located on the north side of the B2096 Battle
Road within the Parish of Heathfield and Waldron. A location
plan can be found at Appendix 1.
1.
1.4.
Punnetts Town
Community Primary School serves pupils from the village, as well as
from adjacent towns and villages including Broad Oak, Warbleton,
Hailsham, Heathfield and Herstmonceux, who travel to school by car
due to the rural location. The village car park for Punnetts Town
is located opposite the school on the south side of the B2096
Battle Road and provides parking for the school, village hall,
medical centre and play area/recreation ground. The school uses the
recreation ground on the south side of the B2096 Battle
Road.
1.5. Punnetts
Town does not have a system of street lighting and the school is
within the 30mph speed limit. 30mph repeater signs are
positioned at regular intervals within the 30mph speed limit, some
of which have been supplemented with 30mph road marking roundels. A
30mph speed activated sign is located to the west of the school for
eastbound traffic.
1.6.
On the eastbound and westbound approaches
to the school, ‘School’ warning signs with
supplementary ‘School Safety Zone’ plates and flashing
amber lights have been provided on each side of the road which have
been supplemented with ‘SCHOOL SLOW’ road markings.
There is pedestrian guard-railing in the
footway on both sides of the road outside of the school with
dropped kerbs at the crossing point for the school. The area is
protected with yellow school keep clear zig zag markings on both
sides of the road outside of the school. Photographs of these
measures can be found at Appendix 2.
1.7.
Punnetts Town
Community Primary School is an approved site for a school crossing
patrol which is funded by the County Council. The position is
currently vacant; however, two volunteers work the morning
patrol shifts. There is presently no school crossing patrol in the
afternoons. Whilst it is the responsibility of individual schools
to recruit to vacant school crossing patrol positions, the Road
Safety Team continues to assist the school with the recruitment for
this position. Successful applicants will be provided with full
training, uniform and equipment.
1.8.
The most
appropriate crossing facility for this location would be a
signalised puffin crossing, which can cost between £170,000
and £250,000. As a signalised crossing would require street
lighting, a crossing facility in Punnetts Town would be at the
higher end of this price range.
1.9.
Crash data supplied by Sussex Police for
the most recent 3-year period up to 30 April 2024 shows that there
have been no recorded personal injury crashes within the 30mph
speed limit on the B2096 through Punnetts Town.
2 Supporting
Information
2.1.
The County Council has a limited amount of
funding to develop local transport improvements and needs to ensure
that resources are allocated to those schemes which will be of the
greatest benefit to local communities. To help prioritise the
number of requests received for improvements, a High Level Sift
process was developed to determine which schemes are taken forward
to detailed appraisal and consideration for funding through the
Integrated Transport Programme.
2.2.
The request for a pedestrian crossing
facility on the B2096 Battle Road outside of Punnetts Town
Community Primary School has been assessed through the approved
High Level Sift process and did not meet the benchmark score to be
taken forward to more detailed appraisal.
2.3.
Although the request for a pedestrian
crossing facility outside of the school is not currently a priority
for funding for the County Council, if an external source of
funding is identified, the County Council could support a scheme to
install a pedestrian crossing facility outside of the
school.
3 Conclusion
and Reasons for Recommendations
2.
3.1.
It is recommended that the petitioners be
advised that a scheme to provide a pedestrian crossing facility on
the B2096 Battle Road outside of Punnetts Town Community Primary
School has not met the necessary benchmark score to be considered
for detailed appraisal and possible inclusion for funding within
the Capital Programme.
3.2.
The County Council could support a scheme
to install a pedestrian crossing facility outside of the school if
an external source of funding is identified.
3.3 The County Council
will continue to assist the school and local community with
recruitment for the vacant School Crossing Patrol post and will
provide full training, uniform and equipment to a successful
applicant.
Director of Communities, Economy
and Transport
Contact Officer: Helen
Clee
Tel. No. 0345 6080193
Email: Helen.Clee@eastsussex.gov.uk
LOCAL
MEMBERS
Councillor
Bowdler
BACKGROUND
DOCUMENTS
None