The Parish Council have arranged a meeting with HCC Highways and the Traffic Management people from Basingstoke and Deane on the 29th May 2008 to discuss traffic issues in the parish.

If you would like to show your support for the Parish Council and Baughurst: Traffic Matters, feel free to attend at Wolverton Village Hall from about 18:30.

Following recent concerns that once again our rural roads have been made wider by 'stealth' Graham Round has asked Officers from Basingstoke and Dean to come to Baughurst for a meeting:

Dear Mr Ford,

Many thanks for responding to us, sorry we have taken a little time to respond.

Many people in Baughurst are very concerned about traffic issues in the village and it is for this reason the Baughurst: Traffic Matters Group was formed, we saw the need to have a co-ordinated and common voice for bringing concerns to the attention of the authorities.

For those who have fought to keep Baughurst's rural character, there was a major setback this week as Hampshire Highways deemed in necessary to cover two of the blind bends in Baughurst with brightly coloured 'High Friction' surface, despite objections from residents and members of Baughurst: Traffic Matters.

Whilst I understand the need for such surfaces in an urban environment, on approaches to pedestrian crossings or junctions, their use on rural roads is completely counter productive. It is now possible to travel much faster around the two blind bends, placing all road users in greater danger, especially those who are not cocooned within their steel shells.

I cannot emphasise enough how this approach to road 'safety' is so completely wrong.

We should be addressing the underlying causes of excessive approach speeds into the bends, rather than encouraging people to blindly drive even faster.

For years, Hampshire Highways and other authoritative parties have repeatedly told us that the way to increase safety is to reduce speeds and that there is a direct correlation between the widening of rural roads and the increase in traffic speed. This is not a layman's opinion, this is expert opinion backed up with empirical data.

So what are we doing? We continue to allow our Highways maintenance teams to widen the roads and straighten the bends, then, because the approach speeds are now so high and people are falling off the road, we straighten the bends more and put down High friction surfaces, allowing them to crash even faster. Exactly the opposite of what we are trying to achieve. It simply does not make sense. Traffic casualties and fatalities on rural roads have fallen by a mere 2% per year in the last decade, despite massive improvements in vehicle safety. The reason is simple: it is far too easy to travel too fast in a modern car or van when encouraged to do so. Combining ever more powerful vehicles with wider roads is a recipe for disaster.

The Parish Council, The Baughurst Society, Baughurst: Traffic Matters and all the residents of the parish need to stand with one voice and stop this madness.

Treat the cause, not the symptoms and the argument for high friction surfaces is mute.

Following concerns already expressed regarding the immanent commencement of two major road works schemes by both Hampshire Highways and Berkshire Highways along the busy A340 (described as a double whammy by local residents), we are pleased that the Chairman of the Baughurst Society has also now written to our County Councillor.

The below letter has been submitted to both Hampshire County Council and Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, we will keep you posted about the responses. There however seems to be mixed support for the existing 40MPH limit between the Hurst School and Shaw Lane to be reduced to 30MPH.

BAUGHURST: TRAFFIC MATTERS

Hampshire County Council
Road Safety Team
Environment Department
The Castle
Winchester
Hampshire SO23 8UD 15th January 2008

Dear Sirs,

Baughurst: Traffic Matters represents local residents living in the Baughurst area.

The Group are in the process of circulating a draft letter to HCC and BDBC requesting that the existing 40 MPH restriction along Baughurst Road is extended through the narrow bending section of this road.

We look forward to receiving your views for and against the suggestions; to follow is a copy of the draft letter:

Members of the Group are asking HCC Roads Engineering Team to take action before the major road scheme works get under way early next year. Major works at the Ring Road/Aldermaston Roundabout will cause havoc and force drivers of all size vehicles to seek-out alternative routes. The anticipated additional traffic over and above the ever increasing volumes using our country lanes will cause havoc and wreck the rural verges.

Baughurst: Traffic Matters have been consulting with Hampshire Highways regarding theft of highway verge markers just south of Hillside Farm. Highways Officers placed the markers in order to provide protection to the reinstated verge and to encourage vehicles to slow down through the narrow section. The marker posts which are the property of the County Council have now been replaced a number of times.