David Poxon, Team Leader, Road Safety will be present at the meeting to discuss concerns from residents regarding speeding vehicles on and around the Aylestone Drive area.
Minutes:
The Chair explained that this item on the agenda was mainly to consider traffic problems on Sharpland, as the road was being used as a ‘rat run’. He stated that this item would be taken as the first main item of business on the agenda in view of the number of members of the community who had come to the meeting especially for this issue.
David Poxon, Team Leader, Road Safety explained that two separate traffic counts had been carried out on Sharpland which had showed that the average speed of traffic on the road was approximately 24 mph, with a few cars travelling in excess of 40 mph. Members of the community strongly disagreed with that statement and Dave added that a new survey would be carried out as soon as the police had the necessary equipment available.
David advised that the emergency services had said that they were not prepared to have the roads blocked off because of access problems.
Members of the community made the following comments:
· Previously the box which recorded the traffic speeds had been situated in the wrong place. It needed to be located on the bend by the telephone box.
· People had witnessed vehicles tipped over and animals killed. The roads should be blocked off and residents will do this themselves if the situation is not satisfactorily resolved.
· Too much traffic was coming to Aylestone from the motorway. Routes were not signposted properly and all traffic appeared to be diverted to Leicester South.
· One of the previous traffic surveys was flawed because the box was only in its location for 3 days instead of 7. It had been attached to a lamp post and removed by a high sided vehicle. The Council had been informed of what had happened but they did not extend the survey time.
The Chair commented that the current situation was not acceptable and it was necessary to find a solution which was also acceptable to the emergency services. Councillor Porter explained that he was also very aware of the problem and that he sat on the Transport and Climate Change Scrutiny Commission where a review had been carried out on 20 mph zones and traffic calming.
The City Mayor addressed the meeting and stated that it was clear that a solution to the problems on Sharpland needed to be found as the suffering that residents were experiencing was unacceptable. He added that when the new traffic survey had been carried out, the results would be considered carefully and either he or the Deputy City Mayor would come to the next Aylestone Community meeting when it was held in approximately 3 months time. At that point they would announce what measures the Council would take.
A member of the community asked whether any interim steps could be taken and the City Mayor responded that he would hold an informal site meeting with officers and Ward Councillors within the next ten days.
Ps Andy Partridge (1045) advised that the long term solution would be traffic calming. In the meantime the Police would increase their patrols and issue tickets for speeding.
Further comments were raised from the floor as follows:
· People had waited four years for the problem to be resolved, and had been very patient.
· A man had been seen to be shaving whilst driving along Sharpland.
· I am disabled; if speed humps are put on the road as a traffic calming measure, I will need to move to a new home because I will not be able to leave the house.
In response to a question from the City Mayor, the general consensus of the meeting was that the only solution to the problem was to block off Sharpland.
The City Mayor confirmed that he would hold an informal site visit within 10 days and then either he or the Deputy City Mayor would return to the next Aylestone Community Meeting to explain what the Council would do to resolve the problem of Shapland being used as a ‘rat run’. Members of the community indicated that they were satisfied with that approach.