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.

It is not so many years ago that the only vehicles which probably passed along the southern end of Baughurst Road were residents and visitors to the few dwellings which are sporadically placed along the road. Today some 2,0000 vehicles travel along this narrow road each day, mostly during the morning and evening peak hours and most of these will fall into the category of ‘rat-runners’ . Rat-runners will normally have their blinkers fitted and have one objective in mind – ‘to drive as fast as possible to their place of work without any consideration for other people using the road’.

It is probably true that the routes of our roads have over the years just evolved, however in today’s world where we see 3 and 4 cars in one household, the people who live along the routes of these country roads need to start to determine/persuade the route and volumes of traffic that should physically pass down such roads.

As with the most recent instance, despite the various departments within HCC and BDBC giving us many commitments not to reduce the width of roadside verges when carrying out major or routine works, the opposite always happens. It appears that Management have no control over the labour force.

Baughurst’s small network of roads are used by many for walking, running, cycling and the ridding of horses and it is the safety of these non-motorised users that we are concerned about. In addition to the safety issues we wish to preserve and enhance the rural character of the parish.

The Group believe that there is a requirement for a complete review of the current speed limits along the roads of Baughurst (Brimpton Road, Wolverton Road, Shaw Lane, Church Lane, Baughurst Road and Ramsdell Road) taking into consideration the rat-runners’ ‘complete route’.

Also along the sections of Baughurst Road which have become wider and straighter some form of strategic road engineering works should take place in order to present the picture to drivers of narrow country roads.

An agreed work method to be established for the future general treatment/repair of roadside verges.

Address the issue of the erosion of verges just south of the new development at the old Smiths garage site. Home owners are desperately trying to hang onto their frontages, and are using all kinds of items to keep vehicles away. To give the effect of narrowing the road and protecting the verges, consideration for some form of uniform posts is required,

Reinstatement and protection of the verges and the central gassed island at Pound Green, which should have the effect of deterring large vehicles from using Snaky Lane.

Whilst we understand that HCC do not currently have a Quite Lanes initiative, we would like to adopt this style of design/thought process when considering the above points.

Can we suggest a meeting date of the 6th or 7th of April at an address in Baughurst to be confirmed, we would plan that up to a maximum of 5 people would represent Baughurst: Traffic Matters/Residents at the meeting. The meeting could start with a short presentation from us to highlight our concerns. My suggestion is that we allot a two and a half hour time slot for the meeting, we will leave the timing to you, it has been suggested that we could park at the Old School House at 08:15 and walk up to Manor Farm House for the meeting!

We look forward to hearing from you.

Graham Round
Baughurst: Traffic Matters