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 was formed in order to highlight the concerns regarding road safety, expressed by our residents. Primarily the group is working to:

Protect and enhance the Parish’s roadside verges and the rural character of our narrow lanes.

Discourage through-traffic and inappropriate use by heavy goods vehicles.

Reduce traffic speeds to redress the balance of safety for all road users, especially those enjoying the countryside through
walking, running, cycling and horse riding.

We are writing to your team and the Engineering and Traffic Group at Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council.

The group have identified a number of country lanes which are used as ‘regular routes’ by non-motorised road users and wish to make these routes safer and more enjoyable to use. We support the use of these regular routes as it encourages a healthy lifestyle and helps people to enjoy our rural environment without the need for use of a motor car.

We have recently worked with Hampshire Highways maintenance team to carry- out reinstatement of road side verges and this reinstatement work resulted in an improved rural character; it also acts as natural traffic calming (it gives the motorist the perception of a narrower road width) and reduces the wear and tear on the roadside edges that normally result in potholes and the crumbling of the road edge, leading to increased maintenance costs. We understand that Hampshire Highways have further maintenance planned for the Baughurst area in the near future.

Taking the above points into account, we are writing to request that consideration be given to extending the existing 40 MPH speed restriction along Baughurst Road, Baughurst. We would ask that this restriction be extended south from the point were it currently ends, close to the Wellington Arms public house, through to the village boundary (close to Baughurst House). This section of the road is twisting and extremely narrow in places and is regularly used by those cycling, walking, running and horse riding. We feel strongly that action should be taken to make the road safer, the verge reinstatement and improved white lining are already sending a message to drivers to ‘slow down’ and a reduction in the legal speed limit will certainly make a positive impact.

In the longer term we would like to investigate with the Roads Safety Team the methods that could be adopted to enhance, protect and encourage use of our ‘regular routes’ and believe that some kind of ‘Quiet Lanes’ initiative could be extremely valuable.

The lanes identified that make up our 'regular routes' are identified on the attached map (Baughurst Road, Violet Lane, Ham Lane & Wolverton Road).

As you will see below we have copied this letter to other interested parties in the community and in doing so we invite comment and support. We also communicate and invite comment through our community website Baughurst: Traffic Matters (www.baughurst.org.uk) .

Please find attached a sample of pictures supplied by a local resident; we believe that these pictures demonstrate that Baughurst Road is unsuitable for through traffic and large vehicles.

We look forward to hearing from you in the very near future.

Yours faithfully

For Baughusrt:Traffic Matters Group

C.C
Baughurst Parish Council
Baughurst Society
Marilyn Tucker, Hampshire County Council
Peter Eade Hampshire Highways Maintenance Team