Highways and road safety issues, particularly concerns about the excessive, unsafe speed of many vehicles on local roads, are raised at almost all Parish Council (PC) meetings. The following sets out the organisations responsible for our roads, how you can contact them and what the PC and our other councillors have done to address the issues.
Major routes, e.g. M11, are the responsibility of National Highways. The local road network is the responsibility of Essex County Council who, several years ago, appointed Essex Highways (EH) to carry out their responsibilities.
As we all know, local roads are badly potholed and many of these have been logged on the EH website by the PC.
The link below is available for all to use.
https://www.essexhighways.org/tell-us
Unfortunately, relatively few seem to get fixed promptly, but it is the quickest way of reporting issues that need repair. The Essex Highways site can also be used to report damaged road signs, road markings in need of repainting, drainage issues etc
The PC and our County Councillor, Paul Gadd, regularly press EH and the Police to address issues and risks to road users. Paul has been very helpful in chasing up many issues, including, for example, getting blocked drainage on the B1383 cleared. However, on occasions EH simply refuse to act.
Below are just some of the issues the PC has taken up with EH, ECC and the Police, and the results so far.
- Speeding in Littlebury on the B1383. EH declined to repair or replace the flashing Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS) north and south of the village. The PC have bought and installed replacements.
- The new Littlebury VAS signs are believed to have yielded good results with positive feedback received.
- Speeding in Mill Lane, Strethall Road and Walden Road. ECC/EH policy is not to add physical restrictions or for the speed limit to be reduced to 20mph. The PC has budgeted to install a VAS sign on Strethall Road and is asking EH for a licence to install one.
- Speeding in Littlebury Green. After several years of failing to get EH to install VAS signs or any other measures the PC bought and installed signs last year.
- The PC has encouraged residents who are concerned about speeding to consider forming an active Community Speedwatch Group. These are much better supported by ECC than in the past and seem to have been beneficial elsewhere. Regular checks by a group in Littlebury Green a few years ago did seem to have some impact on speeding through the village. To date there has been little interest in forming a group in Littlebury.
- Footpath alongside Windmill Hill road to Saffron Walden. This has not been maintained for years, despite being the only walking route into the town. EH simply refused to clear the overgrown path. Our thanks to volunteers who are in the process of clearing the route, and to landowners who have cut back trees and bushes on their land.
- Speeding on the Littlebury Green Road in Littlebury. This had a 40mph limit with blind turnings into Goodwins Close and Peggy’s Walk, and no pavement to the B1383. Paul Gadd was asked by the PC to seek a reduction to 30mph to reduce risk. Although it took two years EH made the change last year.