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.

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.

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.

As already advised the Group had been in contact with Peter Eade at HCC Highways Maintenance Department to arrange a local meeting on Friday 15th June at the Old School House, Baughurst Road. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss maintenance issues along Baughurst Road (see 1-4 below). We believe that good maintenance of the village roadside verges will send a message to drivers that we care about the village that we have chosen to live in.

Baughurst; Traffic Matters has been copied in on two recent letters written by concerned residents.

Michael Walford of Pound Green and Vanessa Hurran of Baughurst Road recently wrote to express their concerns.

The correspondence relating to Baughurst: Traffic Matters is now online. When permission is given by all parties we will endeavour to publish all documents on this site in an open and transparent manner.

To: Mr Peter Eade
Assistant Chief Engineer
Hampshire County Council
Hampshire Highways Basingstoke

Your reference: 1021745

Dated: 3rd December 2006

Dear Mr Eade,

Highway Issues in Baughurst

Thank you for your letter dated 3rd November 2006. As you can see from the letter heading we have formed a group with the aim of gathering the views and ideas from as wide a spectrum as possible of the local community.

We are pleased to read that for the future your team will look more carefully at verge repairs in Baughurst Parish. We are however still concerned that over the last couple of weeks we have seen that many verges are still being replaced with tarmacadam. For example, the junction at Shaw Lane and Rimes Lane has suffered many times from this treatment.