Rural Roads for Rural People

11 January, 2007 - 23:17 — Graham

Dear Baughurst Traffic Matters:
Being a Special Constable (and the occasional horse rider) I fully appreciate the safety concerns and the dangers associated with rural roads. Too many times have I been passed whilst on horse back by vehicles travelling in an inappropriate manner for the roads in our community. Two years ago it would have been a rare occasion to meet a HGV whilst riding around this area, only last month did I have to contend with three in a row! Some motorists seem oblivious to people on horses, let alone pedestrians walking.

Over the past few years I have seen the traffic along the Baughurst Road dramatically increase, especially after the re-surfacing/improvement of the A340 (Tadley to Basingstoke). The diversions setup seem to reveal a new "rat run" that people living in Basingstoke, Newbury, Tadley and surrounding areas could exploit. Our rural road infrastructure just cannot handle the increased load, size and speed of vehicles that now seem to frequent it.
Chris Round, Baughurst Road

Articles | Correspondence

19 April, 2007 - 23:31 — makk

Are you all mad???

So what planet do you all actually inhabit?

Reducing speed limits on what are already reasonably safe roads is not really going to achieve anything other than attracting the cash hungry "Safety Camera Partnership" to yet another happy hunting ground. I don't doubt that they will make frequent appearences after the 40 to 30 reduction but how much safer will we really be?? I've lived here for 20 years now and don't really see what the problem is!!

11 May, 2007 - 15:19 — Philip

Define mad...

And we all inhabit the same planet.

We'd just like to be able to walk, ride and cycle through our village with our chidren without the frequent near misses. If you attempt to walk/ride/cycle (i.e. anything other than drive) along almost any of the rural roads in the parish, you will *really* see what the problems is.

This is not about "attracting the cash hungry 'Safety Camera Partnership'" - I don't think anyone wants to see more of them. This is about allowing the residents of Baughurst Parish being able to enjoy their environment without put their lives at risk.

The village should not be defined by the traffic passing through it.

Philip

29 April, 2007 - 21:56 — sbushell

car speed and road user safety

Was recently walking with the family, including one new born and one two year old, from Church lane into Bughurst Road, walking on the left (as walking on the right is into a blind corner with fast approaching traffic, and therefore not being anywhere close to safe).

We stopped at the junction from Church lane into Baughurst Road to cross, and were about to, when a car sped down the Baughurst Road at 55+mph, currently legal, and narrowly missed us, and the Tesco delivery van (not lorry) a few yards on. If the van had been a lorry, or we had been on the Baughurst Road, or other road users such as horse riders, cyclists, runners or farm traffic had been there, as is frequently the case, there would have been an horrific accident.

For the many categories of road user on Baughurst's Roads, the best solution is to extend the 40 zone, and reduce it to 30mph. The chances of a pedestrian surviving a 30mph car hit are better than 50:50, and not if at 40 or more. The same I would suggest, is the case for drivers hitting a horse, lorry or tractor.

Is stacking the odds against the pedestrian really worth the 20 seconds journey time reduction given by the current speed limits on the Baughurst and many surrounding rounds?

Bushell family, Baughurst Road