Home Page  Meeting Minutes 2010 Monday 13 September 2010 140/10 Cllr Heather Smith - NCC Cabinet Member responsible for Transport & Highways |
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140/10 Cllr Heather Smith - NCC Cabinet Member responsible for Transport & Highways |
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Cllr Smith was accompanied by Debbie Thorne, NCC Assistant Head of Transports & Highways, Leo Plant (MGWSP Area Manager) and Derek Buchanan (MGWSP General Manager). Cllr Smith promised to look into the problems with the 16+ Travel Scheme and get back to the parents representative by the end of the week. Cllr Smith advised that grant funding for casualty reduction has been withdrawn. Many communities have applied for traffic calming but there is little funding for works. One option put forward was to increase the Parish Council’s PRECEPT to pay for traffic calming. It was agreed that there should be a consultation before any significant increases in the PRECEPT. Cllr Verden implored residents of Earls Barton to adhere to the speed limits in force around the village otherwise all residents may have to pay increased taxes to pay for measures. PC Lee advised that the police are aware of the speeding issues in Earls Barton and support the use of traffic calming measures as they are a less confrontational way of tackling the problem. Cllr Blackwell expressed frustration over the lack of traffic calming from NCC, even though the Parish Council has been liaising with NCC for many years regarding the issue. Derek Buchanan admitted that the condition of roads in the county were a challenge as were the budgetary restraints. 3 hotspots in Earls Barton have been identified for urgent works (Compton Way, Mears Ashby Road and Elizabeth Way), and these works will be carried out in the next 4-6 weeks. Debbie Thorne advised that, due to a change in working, 80% of repairs on potholes are now permanent repairs as this is more cost effective, although there will still be occasions when interim repairs will need to be made. Leo Plant advised that highway inspections are carried out in line with a National Intervention Level and, therefore, if a pothole does not meet that level, it will not be filled even if it is next to another pothole that does meet the required criteria. He also advised that there are 8 additional gangs carrying out permanent repairs around the county. Concerns were raised over proposed parking restriction in the village centre and regarding dangerous parking close to zebra crossings. The public were assured that any parking restrictions will be subject to a consultation period and the local police confirmed that they will deal with any dangerous parking that they witness.
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