Highways officers will consult further on specific proposals to improve road safety around Overdale Infant School, Overdale Junior School and St Thomas More Catholic Primary School. There will also be an update on the installation of road safety signs in these areas.
Minutes:
Robert Bateman, Team Leader, Highways & Drainage Design was present to talk about proposals to improve road safety around Overdale Junior School.
Robert explained that at the previous Community Meeting in January, approval had been given to install a ‘wig wag sign’. This was a sign that would blink left and right informing drivers they were approaching a school. It was noted that the signs had been ordered and would be installed next week. Residents were provided with an opportunity to look at the proposed plans for road alterations and comments were requested.
It was suggested that the wig wag sign should be placed on the corner of Shanklin Drive/Carisbrooke Road rather than on Overdale Road. In response, Councillor Grant stated that the sign would be placed on the first lamp column. He added that this was not ideal however would be next to where the current school sign was. Councillor Grant stated that he had visited the sites for Overdale school and St Thomas More school and agreed that the placing of the signs could go ahead as consideration of any other traffic calming methods would have involved lengthy discussions and the possibility of nothing being installed. It was also noted the funding for the sign was paid out of the Community Meeting budget and it was not known whether this funding would be in place in the next municipal year.
Concern was raised that there were no plans to reduce speed and it was stated that this should be seen at the most sensible and cheap option. It was requested that a 20mph limit be introduced on Overdale Road. In response to this Robert stated that an introduction of a 20mph zone would be a larger and more expensive project and road humps would have to be installed. Robert added that the sign was to help children cross the road. Councillor Grant stated that the Council had taken a view that the 20mph zones needed to be self enforcing. It was explained that previous traffic calming proposals had been rejected and a compromise was being worked on however there were funding issues. Residents were informed that the Council had adopted a policy for a 20mph limit on non main roads however it was unlikely this would be achieved everywhere. It was commented that removing cars on Overdale Road by installing double yellow lines would lead to more cars speeding.
Concern was raised regarding the proposal to narrow the roads and it was stated that drivers parking inappropriately was causing problems. It was noted that there were zig zag lines outside the school and the Police on occasions had ticketed drivers who had parked on them however concern was raised that the Police were not present on a regular basis.
Comments were made that the zig zag lines outside the school were used by buses for school outings. A representative from the infant school stated that the idea was for vehicles to come through one entrance and exit at another. The meeting was informed that a leaflet had been circulated which had stated that some residents were causing delays to possible schemes. A representative from the school informed residents that the leaflet was not the idea of the school and apologised for the upset caused.
A resident queried whether it was possible to have an activated speed sign on Ashfield Avenue. In response to the activated speed signs, it was stated that there had been ones placed on Shanklin Drive on a trial period however after an amount of time they would lose their worth. It was reported that the Council were looking into mobile signs which would allow for them to be moved around and this would allow a number of schools to benefit from them. Additionally it was stated that the speeds recorded on the signs tended to be inaccurate and some drivers looked to go faster to record quicker speeds. It was agreed it would be looked into to find out if signs could be brought in for a trial period.
In response to the suggestions received, Robert stated that installing single yellow lines would be a good idea. In response to a query regarding the proposal to install dropped kerbs, Robert stated that the idea of dropped kerbs was to make the distance shorter for children to cross. It was stated stopping cars parking on street corners should also be looked into.
It was suggested that employing a lollipop person be looked into however it was noted there may be funding issues associated with this and funding would have to be sought.
Further suggestions were made that single yellow lines be installed in order for something to be installed reasonably quickly. It was also suggested that the formal consultation stage to consult residents be the next step. It was queried how long the consultation would take and how long the proposals would take to install. Robert stated that a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) would take a few months to process and it would then take 3-4 weeks to write a report. Additionally residents were informed it would take three months for the consultation process. The Chair invited a showing of hands of those in favour for the single yellow lines proposal. The majority of the Community Meeting were in favour of this proposal.