Further update 18-1-21 17.06pm:
Wing and Ivinghoe Community Board has now convened a Transport sub-group meeting for 4-2-2021 at 18.30pm. If residents wish to attend, you can find the details of how to register here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2501876303441962
Further update 18-1-21 16.23pm:
Development Management has spoken with Thames Valley Police and the TfB Safety Officers today. TVP has advised that the current road signs cannot be relocated back to the village gates whilst other options are explored, as they are currently located in the only enforceable location. However, TVP and TfB have agreed to work with Development Management and Taylor Wimpey to find an alternative solution that all these parties would find acceptable and will seek to put such a solution into place prior to adoption. When we are provided with any further details, we will issue the updates to residents.
You can continue to email your concerns to highwaysdm@buckinghamshire.gov.uk and copy to parishclerk@pitstone.co.uk.
Original post:
We have been contacted by several residents who have expressed concern that Taylor Wimpey has, over the weekend, moved the end of the 60mph derestricted zone from the white village gates to just before the start of Warwick Road. There has been no consultation with the Parish Council nor local residents regarding the doubling of the speed limit in this location.
The parish council has spoken to the Adoptions Manager in the Development Management division of Buckinghamshire Council this morning. You will be aware that Taylor Wimpey (TW) have had to undertake certain remedial works to bring the highways up to standard before Buckinghamshire Council can adopt them (we also confirm that neither Westfield Road nor the estate roads have been adopted by Buckinghamshire Council as yet). As part of this process, Buckinghamshire Council has to ensure that the highways meet regulations and speed limits would be enforceable. We understand that the 30mph zone between the village gates and the first lamp post would not have been enforceable. BC advise that they discussed three options with Taylor Wimpey (1) put a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) in place for this stretch of road (2) install more lamp posts out to the white gate (which would need to be adopted by Buckinghamshire Council along with the other Westfield Road lamp posts but are not normally erected where there are no houses direct onto the frontage) or (3) move the 30mph sign to the lamp post. TW have, probably understandably, taken the cheapest and easiest option and put up the sign on the lamppost. BC adoptions say they have no legal recourse with TW to force them to take the other actions and that TW have complied with the terms of their planning agreement. The parish council does not feel that this is acceptable and has asked that the 30mph signs be removed until further conversations can take place and more options explored.
The Adoptions Manager has since called back to say that they will liaise further with both Thames Valley Police and the Road Safety team at Buckinghamshire Council to review the situation and determine a solution. They advise that the white gates are probably too far from the residential area but that the lamppost is possibly too close. They will respond to the Parish Council in due course and we will update residents as soon as we have further information. We have again asked for the signs to be relocated back to the gates whilst these conversations take place.
Buckinghamshire Council are our Highways Authority, so all matters relating to the highway need to be determined by them. We are advised that if the Adoptions Department can’t initiate an acceptable solution then the matter needs to be raised through the local BC Community Board. We have thus spoken to both Anne Wight, who is the Chair of the Wing & Ivinghoe Local Community Board, and Derek Town, who is our local Buckinghamshire Councillor and who sits on the Transport Sub Committee for the Community Board. They will also engage Transport for Bucks officers and ask them to review the safety implications and consider/advise of available options, as well as ensuring that it is added to the next Community Board Transport Sub Committee meeting for detailed exploration and engagement with the correct departments at Buckinghamshire Council. Once we are aware of the date and time, we will make residents aware.
It would be helpful if residents could raise their concerns via email to the following people, and copy the parish council, as this will help to demonstrate the extent of local feeling to the Highways Authority and Community Board members:
- highwaysdm@buckinghamshire.gov.uk (the adoptions team at Buckinghamshire Council)
- Katrina.kelly@buckinghamshire.gov.uk (the coordinator for the local Community Board)
- Anne.wight@buckinghamshire.gov.uk (the chair of the local Community Board)
- Derek.town@buckinghamshire.gov.uk (our local Buckinghamshire Councillor, who also sits on the Transport sub-committee)
- peter@peterbrazier.com (the coordinator for the Transport sub-committee)
- parishclerk@pitstone.co.uk (please copy your correspondence to the parish council)
The parish council was not aware of this change and was not consulted, although we understand that the adoptions team at Buckinghamshire Council have obviously been aware and liaising with the developer. We will continue to pursue this issue with both the Adoptions Team and the Community Board. We have also arranged for the mVAS (flashing speed sign) to be relocated back to Westfield Road so that we can get some additional up-to-date data.