Area Board Meeting

On the 1st of June 2017, a number of residents from Castle Mead estate attended the Area Board Meeting at County Hall.

Once again, although we had repeatedly been promised that we were scheduled to be on the agenda to make our presentation, we found that this was not so. The Chairman indicated again that we could present our case at the next meeting.

Some of the points we wanted to raise:

Speeding

This is still a major problem along Leap Gate, and in fact, speeding and antisocial driving are on the increase. The vast majority of motorists are exceeding the 30mph speed limit when coming out of the 50mph zone and are failing to stop at the pedestrian crossing and roundabout because they are travelling too fast. What is even more worrying is the sheer number of HGVs that fail to slow down when approaching the crossing and roundabout, especially as they take longer to stop than a smaller vehicle.

There appears to be no concentrated effort by Wiltshire Police to target drivers who openly flout road laws and constantly break speed limits set by Wiltshire Council. Other police forces have tackled this problem, why not Wiltshire?

After more than 5 months, the roundabout signage (opposite Castle Mead School) damaged by a speeding vehicle has still not been replaced/repaired by Persimmon Homes.

Proposals

Double-white lines and stop signs need to be installed at the roundabout.

School warning signs to be installed either side of the pedestrian crossing (before the roundabout on both sides of the road) as is the case with the Paxcroft Mead pedestrian crossing serving the Mead School and local shops.

Traffic-calming and additional signage to help with the speeding issues as promised by Councillor Phillip Whitehead at the previous Area Board Meeting we attended and subsequent email correspondence.

Highways at Wiltshire Council to get Persimmon Homes to repair the roundabout signage.

Double-Yellow Lines

If the proposed installation of double-yellow lines along the 30mph section of Leap Gate and side roads goes ahead, it will have a major and negative impact on both speeding and parking. 

Parked cars act as natural traffic-calming, and once motorists are no longer allowed to park along Leap Gate, vehicle speeds will increase, causing even greater danger for residents and children living on the estate.

The Land at East Trowbridge Development Brief (Point 5:14) states that, “provision for visitor parking on street will need to be an integral part of the urban design”.

Residents and visitors will be forced to park further into the estate, along the already congested side roads and in residents' spaces not allocated to them, if the proposal goes ahead.

Proposal

If the proposed double-yellow lines go ahead, Wiltshire Council will have to provide additional parking for residents and visitors to deal with the problem this will cause.

MetroCount

MetroCount survey results were not received by residents before the Area Board Meeting, but they were presented at the meeting by Martin Aldam, Senior Transport Planner. This information will be posted  separately on a blog dealing with the MetroCount results.

Proposal

If the proposed double-yellow lines along Leap Gate go ahead, then another MetroCount survey needs to be carried out to take into account the effects of removing parked cars which act as natural traffic-calming.

Huntingfield

The number of vehicles illegally turning right onto Leap Gate when coming out of Huntingfield is on the rise, increasing the number of near-misses.

Motorists are also speeding along this road, causing great concern for residents who live there and for their children who play outside their houses.

The volume of traffic is already an issue for residents living in Huntingfield, but when Castle Mead School expands, it will pose an even greater problem for them. If the proposed installation of double- yellow lines goes ahead, it will mean less parking for parents dropping their children off at the school and will inevitably lead to residents' allocated parking spaces being used by others.

The number of motorists illegally parking their vehicles in the middle of the road on the white zig-zag lines in front of the pedestrian crossing railings to use the ATM and to go into the Co-Op store is also on the rise.

Proposal

If the proposed double-yellow lines go ahead, Wiltshire Council will have to provide additional parking for parents dropping their children off at Castle Mead School.

General Points

There are no lifebelts at the balancing pond next to Serotine Crescent.

Green Square, who currently maintain the public open spaces in Castle Mead, are providing a substandard service (litter not being collected, dead trees and plants not being replaced, poor weeding of beds, poor grass-cutting). They have also been recently observed using excessive amounts of the weedkiller, Praxys, and residents are concerned about the implications to the health of children, pets and wildlife.

Littering, since the Radstock Co-Op opened in January, is getting worse. A particular problem is ATM receipts, food packaging and plastic wrappings from their delivery vehicles being blown all over the estate.

Poor condition of footpaths around estate, especially along Leap Gate, which poses a safety hazard.

There is a major issue with discarded dog 'poo' bags and uncollected dog excrement along Leap Gate.

Proposals

Provision of lifebelts at the balancing pond.

Wiltshire Council to take over the maintenance of the public open spaces as residents are already paying for this service in their council tax.

Provision of rubbish bins outside the Co-Op.

Repair to footpaths around Castle Mead estate.

Provision of additional dog litter bins for Leap Gate.