The Strategic Director, Place will submit Document “P” which considers a petition from local residents of Baildon, who are expressing concerns regarding speeding motorists on B6151 Baildon Road, Baildon.

Recommended –

(1)  That the petitioners’ request to introduce traffic management measures on B6151 Baildon Road to address speeding be included on the list of scheme candidates to be considered by this Committee for possible inclusion within its 2018/19 capital works programme.

(2)  That the lead petitioner be informed accordingly.

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

(Simon D’Vali – 01535 618375)

The Strategic Director, Place submitted Document “P” which considered a petition from local residents of Baildon, who were expressing concerns regarding speeding motorists on B6151 Baildon Road, Baildon.

The Senior Engineer provided a summary of the report.  He corrected an error in paragraph 2.6 of the report and stated that of the traffic speeds and volumes on Baildon Road recorded on 2 October 2017, 15 motorists had been driving over 61mph (the report had wrongly stated 74 motorists).  He also added that 1,065 motorists had driven at 41mph or above, with 78 driving at 51mph or above.

A representative of the petitioners’ addressed the Committee and made the following points:

·         Baildon residents had seen an increase in the level of traffic in the area over recent years.

·         There had been a number of accidents on Baildon Road.

·         The statistics in the report provided evidence that the average speed of traffic was excessive and this was the case night and day.

·         Elderly people crossed Baildon Road to catch the bus.

·         The Committee were urged to introduce traffic calming measures as seen implemented on other similar roads across the district.

·         Temporary measures with the aim of influencing drivers to slow down would be welcome.

·         The Committee were asked to consider the statistics, the petition and the residents’ concerns.

In response to Members’ questions, the Senior Engineer reported that:

·         The statistics showing that there had been nine traffic collisions resulting in 15 slight casualties had been evidenced from Police records.

·         The speeds and volumes recorded on 2 October 2017 had been taken over a 24 hour period.

·         The speed of traffic was recorded at its worse during the hours of 10am and 11am.

·         A breakdown of speeds per hour would be provided to Members as requested.

·         The recorded statistics had been sent to the Police but no response had yet been received.

·         Over the 24 hour period during which speeds were recorded, the mean speed of traffic Baildon bound was 35.1mph and Shipley bound was 32.3mph.

·         Engineers had assessed the steepness of the road and had deemed it appropriate for traffic calming measures.

While acknowledging that accidents had taken place on this stretch of Baildon Road, the Senior Engineer stated that it had not featured on the capital works programme priority list as other schemes had been prioritised to address the Killed or Serious Injured reduction target within the Local Transport Plan which used an evidence-based approach.  A discussion followed in relation to the high volume of speeding traffic and whether equivalent weighting could be given to a scheme on Baildon Road given that so many motorists were breaking the 30mph speed limit.  A Member also stated that local residents knew of many accidents that had taken place but had not been reported.

A discussion took place about interim measures that could be put in place.  The Senior Engineer stated that the introduction of minor signage and lineage could be explored.  He was requested to work with the lead petitioner and Ward Members to implement these interim measures.

A Member spoke of ‘Operation Steerside’ which had been introduced by the Police to crackdown on dangerous driving.  The Senior Engineer was requested to liaise with the Police in relation to any additional enforcement that could be put in place to help reduce dangerous driving on Baildon Road.

The Chair requested that the Principal Engineer circulate a briefing note to Members on the criteria applied by the West Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership when considering which schemes to fund.  He also requested further information on the potential locations for speed bumps on Baildon Road.

During the discussion it was ascertained that the speed cameras to record the traffic speeds on 2 October 2017 had been placed just above St Aidan’s Church.  Members considered that the speeds at this location were probably not at their highest and could be much higher further along the road as it widened.

Resolved –

(1)       That the petitioners’ request to introduce traffic management measures on B6151 Baildon Road to address speeding be included on the list of scheme candidates to be considered by this Committee for possible inclusion within its 2018/19 capital works programme.

(2)       That Highways officers be requested to consider whether any interim measures to reduce speeding traffic on Baildon Road, Baildon can be implemented.

(3)       That Highways officers be requested to liaise with the Police regarding local enforcement and ‘Operation Steerside’ to tackle dangerous driving on Baildon Road, Baildon.

(4)       That the lead petitioner be informed accordingly.

OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: Environment and Waste Management

ACTION: Strategic Director, Place