Agenda item

The A217 route between Reigate and Horley has been identified by the Road Safety Foundation as being within the top 50 worst A-road routes for the number of fatal and serious injuries per vehicle kilometre travelled. The Department for Transport has created a £175 million “Safer Roads Fund” for local authorities to bid for to improve the quality of infrastructure specifically on these top 50 worst A-road routes. This report describes proposals for a range of highway improvements on the A217 between Reigate and Horley that could be included within the bid submission to the Department for Transport.

No declarations of interest received.

Officers present:

Duncan Knox, Road Safety & Active Travel Team Manager

1.    The divisional member (Earlswood & Reigate South) highlighted that discussions still needed to be had with regard to the inclusion of a possible design for the Woodhatch Junction. The Road Safety Manager acknowledged that there were no easy solutions but would be happy to discuss options further.

2.    The divisional member (Redhill East) queried the absence of any reference to cyclists. He had received an email from a resident, calling for improvements to cycling and pedestrian paths along the route to be included in the bid.

3.    The Road Safety Manager explained that in researching for the bid he had referred to the Reigate & Banstead Cycling Plan, that had been agreed by the Local Committee at its meeting on 27 February 2017. As it stands the plan does not include cycling facilities along the A217 route under discussion, but it could be looked at again in the future. He stressed that the criteria set by the Department of Transport was around ‘road safety’ and while there may be potential for a future scheme, it did not fit the specific terms to qualify for this funding stream.

4.    The divisional member (Reigate) queried whether further measures could be added to the plans as the works detailed only amounted to around £800k, which was less than the £1.2million being bid for. She also expressed concern over the proposed installation of uncontrolled crossing points in Bell Street (paragraph 3.32). In particular this location is used by school children and the proposal might appear to be encouraging pedestrians to cross where it was not fully safe to do so.

5.    The Road Safety Manager explained that the DfT criteria allows for bids for a  9.1km stretch without match funding. The cost of some works has already increased, but it is possible that there will be some budget available (subject to the road safety criteria being met). Pedestrians already cross Bell Street in the suggested location, rather than use the nearby signalised facilities and the new measures will make it safer for those doing so.

6.    It was agreed that consultation would be needed although what form this would take has not yet been decided. Once the money had been awarded the proposals would be shared and refined as required.

7.    The Chairman stressed the importance of agreement on the proposals so as not to miss the deadline for submission.

8.    The divisional member (Horley West, Salfords & Sidlow) referred to the request (paragraph 3.8) to reduce the speed limit on the 50mph stretch of Mill Lane to 40mph, so that it is consistent with the sections immediately before and after it. The sight lines for those drivers exiting properties onto the road were poor.

9.    She also expressed concern that the increase in traffic due to the new housing estate had not been taken into account. She highlighted that the new roundabout at the entrance to the Westvale housing estate did not feature on the relevant drawings.

10.  Members further discussed the desired speed reduction that was supported by the wider community. The Road Safety Manager explained that recent speed surveys confirmed that the current limit of 50mph complied with the terms of the county council’s policy on setting speed limits.  A reduction to 40mph is unlikely to be observed and enforcement in the area is difficult as there is nowhere for a vehicle to park.

11.  Members commented that the speed limit policy did not seem to support the  aim of casualty reduction and perhaps the lower limit could be considered again in the future.

12.  However there are no obvious engineering measures that would reduce the speed of vehicles on that stretch.

13.  The timescale set by the DfT for this bid has not allowed for consultation with the public before the submission. Once approved the Road Safety Manager would be happy to meet for example with resident associations/parish councils to discuss, in as far as the limited resources available would allow. The suggestion of a dedicated email address for comments will also be considered.

14  In order to allow the outline bid to be approved by the Local Committee, but also so that discussions could continue on a possible design for the Woodhatch junction for inclusion, the Chairman proposed an additional recommendation to that effect. This was seconded by the Vice-Chair.