Integrated Transport Feasibility Study Report

ITCP2018- 05 Ketton

Barrowden Road/Geeston road

Rutland County Council: Version?

(Date)

REVISION SCHEDULE

Rev Date Details Prepared by Reviewed by Approved by A

19/07/2019

RG

Rutland County Council: Version?

(Date)

Contents

1 Site Description ................................................................................... 4

2 Introduction ......................................................................................... 4

3 Accident Data & Analysis ................................................................... 9

4 Speed Survey ................................................................................... 10

5 Recommendation .............................................................................. 11

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1 Introduction The Parish Council have submitted an application in the Integrated Transport Capital Program to look at the safety of Barrowden Road’s junction with Geeston Road due to the lack of footway. The Parish Council feel that this junction needs to be improved to mitigate traffic increases from recent planning approvals.

The Parish feel that the problem is more to do with traffic speed rather than the volume of traffic. The Residents want to see traffic calming measures installed to slow traffic down, which in turn will improve the safety of pedestrians.

2 Site Description Geeston is a small village just south of Ketton.

Barrowden Road is a long straight road with wide verges on either side and no footways. Barrowden Road has an uphill gradient from its junction with Geeston Road, in a westerly direction for approximately 60m. This means that vehicles approaching Geeston Road are travelling downhill, which can lead to vehicle speeds increasing as they approach the junction.

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Barrowden Road junction with Geeston Road is in close proximity to the railway line; and at only 7m south of the railway crossing.

(Looking south towards Geeston)

(Looking north towards Ketton)

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Barrowden Road is 10.5m wide at its junction with Geeston Road. It has a wide radii to allow vehicles to take a sweeping bend into and out of the road. Barrowden Road is not on the primary gritting route and therefore the County Council have provided a grit bin. The road then narrows to 5m, 25m west of the junction with Geeston Road.

Geeston Roads approach to level crossing is a straight section of carriageway with a downhill gradient. Vehicles are, however, approaching from a buildup area with development on both sides of the carriageway, and therefore vehicle speeds should be complaint with the speed limit of 30mph.

There is a footpath on the east side of Geeston Road leading from the dwellings in Geeston to Ketton. This footpath is 1.8m, however narrows at it approaches the level crossing. There are no dropped crossings on this footpath for pedestrians crossing from Barrowden Road.

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Barrowden Road Footpath

A footpath on the southern side of Barrowden Road near its junction with Geeston Road has been considered as part of this application. To install a footpath on the south side of Barrowden Road near its junction with Geeston Road would require cutting back into the steep highway verge and the installation of a retaining wall to hold up the bank. The footpath will need to be continued around the corner onto Geeston Road to ensure that pedestrians can see vehicles approaching before they cross the road. This would result in the reduction in width of Geeston Road to an unacceptable level.

To install a footpath on the north side of Barrowden Road near its junction with Geeston Road, would also require substantial work to the highway verge and the installation of a retaining wall. There is a high pressure gas pipe in this verge which may have to be lowered as part of the works. The footpath would have to be constructed up to the level crossing to ensure pedestrian visibility can be achieved for those crossing the road. By installing a footpath on the north side of Barrowden Road, pedestrians may decide to wait on the western side of Geeston Road, however they will then be required to cross the road as there is no footpath on the north west of the railway line.

A site visit was carried out with Network Rail to discuss the possibility of installing a footpath close to the level crossing. The Network Railway representative, raised concerns about the installation of a footpath on the northern side of Barrowden Road. He felt that if the barrier was open and a parent with child was waiting to cross the road, cars may stop to allow the pedestrians to cross the road. This could result in at least 1 vehicle stopping within the solid white lines on the railway.

The Network Rail representative advised that he would have no objections to a footpath on the southern side of Barrowden Road. This would allow at least 3 vehicles to stop clear of the railway, if they decided to stop to allow a pedestrian cross the road.

Campsite Impact (2017/0993/FUL)

A new development has been approved for a site leading off Barrowden Road (reference number 2017/0993/FUL). The planning application is for a change of use of part of an agricultural field to allow a seasonal campsite and associated facilities. The decision notice states that there can only be a maximum of 50 pitches, this is a 47% reduction compared to the original planning application.

The developer has provided a detailed traffic management plan to alleviate any impact the development may have on Barrowden Road. They have proposed to spread check in and check out times across the day; the latest check out is 11am and the earliest check in time is 2pm. Therefore there will not be a significant increase in traffic from this development. They will also provide clear details of how to access the site when someone makes a booking and will provide adequate signage outside the campsite. This will prevent vehicles waiting on the highway if they are struggling to site the campsite and will also prevent vehicles from having to turn around on Barrowden Road.

The farm shop can only be used for the sale of goods produced on the farm and for other goods in the following list:

pre-packed confectionary, ice cream, tea, coffee, sugar and milk, jams and preserves, eggs, bread

newspaper,

small children’s toys for use of site (kites and balls),

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small scale camping equipment,

local maps, books and tourist information,

DVDs and books for sale and hire and goods produced solely on the farm.

The restrictions on the farm shop will prevent a significant increase in traffic from residents travelling from Ketton to do their shopping. The village shop provides a wider variety of goods and is easily accessed for residents in Ketton.

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3 Accident Data and Analysis An accident data survey was carried out between 2008 and 2018 at the location shown below:

This identified that there have been no recorded accidents in the last 10 years

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4 Speed Survey A speed survey was carried out just inside the 30mph limit on Barrowden Road, Ketton between 30/1/2019 and 12/2/2019. The receding traffic is vehicles travelling towards Ketton and the approaching data is those travelling out of Ketton towards the A47.

Average Speed (31mph)

Bidirectional Approaching Receding

30/01/2019 35 31 40

31/01/2019 30 29 32

01/02/2019 34 30 36

02/02/2019 30 28 32

03/02/2019 31 30 33

04/02/2019 30 28 34

05/02/2019 30 27 32

06/02/2019 32 30 34

07/02/2019 30 31 30

08/02/2019 30 27 33

09/02/2019 30 28 32

10/02/2019 29 29 29

11/02/2019 31 29 33

12/02/2019 29 27 30

85th Percentile (45mph)

Bidirectional Approaching Receding

30/01/2019 47 40 52

31/01/2019 45 41 46

01/02/2019 47 43 50

02/02/2019 43 40 45

03/02/2019 47 45 47

04/02/2019 45 39 50

05/02/2019 44 39 45

06/02/2019 45 43 46

07/02/2019 43 42 46

08/02/2019 44 42 49

09/02/2019 46 42 49

10/02/2019 44 43 45

11/02/2019 46 40 47

12/02/2019 45 40 46

During the survey period there was a total of 2373 vehicles; which is an average of 170 vehicles per day. The average speed shows the vehicles are complying with the speed limit and the tolerance set by the ACPO Speed Enforcement Guidelines 2011:2015 : Joining Forces for Safer Roads. The maximum tolerance is +/- 2mph. The 85th percentile however demonstrated that vehicles are travelling in excess of the speed limit and allowable tolerance. This survey has also demonstrated that vehicles entering Ketton are travelling faster than those exiting the village.

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5 Recommendation 1. Installation of hard standing area on Barrowden Road.

Due to the height of the banks, a footpath extending up Barrowden Road would require retaining walls to be installed. This would not be in keeping with the rural setting of Geeston. It is therefore proposed to install a small section of hard standing on Barrowden Road junction with Geeston Road, to allow pedestrian a safe place to stand before crossing the road. The hard standing area will be on the southern side of Barrowden Road. These works will reduce the width of the junction of Barrowden Road and Geeston Road. This will act as a traffic calming feature as vehicles will not be able to weep around the bend into the Barrowden Road. Costs Approximately £6k

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2. Improved gateway on Barrowden Road The current gateway features into Ketton along Barrowden Road are minimal, with a small village name plate and 2 x 60mm 30mph roundels:

The houses along Barrowden Road are set back from the highway. There are also large grass verges and hedge rows between the properties and the adopted highway; and therefore there is limited change in the street scene between the open country side and the village setting. The campsite will generate traffic to new visitors of Rutland and therefore additional it is proposed to improve this gateway, so drivers know they are entering a village. The gateway can be improved by relocating the village name plate to the south side of Barrowden Road, so that is it not obstructed by vegetation, installing a gateway design with the village name plate and 30mph roundel include to make the road appear narrower and to delineate from the open country side. The sign on the opposite side of the carriageway will be improved to include yellow backing. Cost Approximately £4,000