Latest Highways news

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Temporary closure of the northern end of Manor Road, High Beach
The City of London Corporation will be closing the northern end of Manor Road in High Beach, from Monday January 9th for approximately 16 weeks (to be completed by April 27th).? Traffic will be diverted while the Pillow Mounds car park area is improved. Alternative parking: Claypit Hill car park; the Visitor Centre; Fairmead Road.? Carl’s Tea Hut will be temporarily relocated to a spot close to its current location, with limited car parking space at the northern end of the Pillow Mounds car park. Map.
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Danger spots

• Borders Lane: The LRA I have been increasingly concerned about the lack of a central white line on the bend in Borders Lane – traffic comes round too fast, and oncoming drivers assume that the road is wider than it really is. LRA Cllr Chris Pond tells me that the central line has not been worn away, but was removed because Dept for Transport regulations only permit centre markings when the carriageway is over a certain width – which Borders Lane isn’t! Chris has succeeded in getting money budgeted to devise signage and a give way/priority from oncoming traffic marking but (as we have already reported) County Highways Dept. have more or less abandoned any new activity pending their mass outsourcing next April.
  
  
• Davenants: LRA Cllr Chris Pond is supporting moves to introduce a 20mph limit from Ripley View to the Theydon side of the school entrance in Debden Lane, provided the 40 limit north of Ripley Grange (233 yards) is also reduced to 30. This would reduce confusion to motorists and also safeguard the very dangerous bend, where there have also been several accidents. http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/9377524.LOUGHTON__Pupils_call_for_speed_limit_to_be_slashed_after_smash_at_school_gates/
  
  
• Junction of Ollards Grove and Forest View Road: Moves are afoot to put double yellow lines on the corners, to stop dangerous parking here. The job may take a long time to get to the front of the queue but if you have any views on the proposal please email contact@loughtonresidents.co.uk
  
  
• Greensted Road double-yellow lines: LRA Cllr Ken Angold-Stephens has been told that the legal formalities have been completed and so we await the men with the yellow paint (this is a long-running saga).

Borders Lane grass verges
LRA Cllr Lance Leonard has also been dealing with a query about the problem verge between 126 and 150 Borders Lane; it is hard to strike the right balance between the need for residents’ parking and keeping the verges green and attractive. Small bushes were planted to prevent parking, but these were soon crushed as cars still parked there. Lance has persuaded the District Council to supply fresh plants and over the last few months these have been treated with more respect than the first planting. We will keep an eye on the verges, and on any “displacement” impact elsewhere.

Street trees - Brooklyn Parade, High Road
Some years ago the fruiting cherry trees that were such a feature of the island bed between numbers 259 and 271 died (see picture). At the time, we hoped that changes could be made to the road layout here to reduce the problems caused by the High Road traffic lights, but there now appears no chance of this happening soon (although we never give up!). So LRA Cllrs Chris Pond and Jennie Hart approached the District Council Tree Officer about getting them replaced - we hope that new trees will be planted this coming autumn/winter. (If you know of a missing or dead Loughton street tree, please let us know at contact@loughtonresidents.co.uk ).

Essex County Council (ECC) Highways
ECC has selected Ringway Jacobs Limited as its preferred bidder to form one of the largest integrated highways partnerships in the UK, intended to deliver significant savings whilst providing an improved level of service for residents. The contract starts on April 1st 2012 and run for 10 years, with the option to extend for a further period of up to five years. It has an estimated value of over 1billion. [In the meantime, things may well get worse as existing staff leave and are not replaced.]

Parking across dropped kerbs
This is a police offence – call 101 and give them the details.
It is now also actionable by Vinci Park (the District Council’s parking agents) - call the parking office (01992 564000) and they will send an officer out if one is available.

Public footpaths

• connecting Marjorams Avenue to St John’s Churchyard: an Essex County Council investigation has produced insufficient evidence to justify modifying the Definitive Map (the applicant may appeal)

• other well-used paths in the town: the Town Council is collating information received from local residents (following an article in Think Loughton).

• When you are out walking have you ever come across an obstructed path, a broken stile or even a sign saying ‘keep out’? If so, please report it at http://www.essex.gov.uk/Travel-Highways/Report-a-highway-problem/Pages/Report-a-problem.aspx and to the Ramblers Association (020 8502 5884; 1 Church Close Loughton)

• Free Rights of Way Guides: http://www.essex.gov.uk/Travel-Highways/Public-Rights-Way/Pages/Publications.aspx

• Register of Public Path Order cases: http://www.essex.gov.uk/Travel-Highways/Public-Rights-Way/Definitive-Map/Pages/Register-of-Public-Rights-of-Way-Schemes.aspx
  
  
• Footpath query? The Essex Definitive Map is available at the Town Council offices by appointment (but not online). If you have a specific query on a particular public path, try the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale “Explorer” leisure maps, or the get-a-map service on the OS website or Andy.Reynolds@essex.gov.uk. Note that the Definitive Map is mainly concerned with paths of a rural nature - in built up areas there will be many footways, cyclepaths, estate paths, etc, that are adopted and maintained by the Highway Authority, and these will be shown on County Highway records but not on the Definitive Map.

More.

County Council winter precautionary gritting network.
Details, including a basic map of the roads covered, are available on the Council website. The County Council will refill the bins that it provides in advance of the bad weather, and will try to keep them re-filled when necessary. They are also providing the Town Council with 100 x 25kg bags of salt, which will be distributed to volunteers in those roads where the Town Council had planned to install new salt/grit bins for use on the highway.

Trees on Centric Parade
LRA Town Cllr Chris Harper is following up the condition of the two “distressed” robinia trees on the pavement at the south end of Centric Parade, which are on private land (we are hoping that the problem stems from the dry weather, and that they will recover, with help).

Parking schemes on District Housing land
The District Council Cabinet has approved new 24 parking bays for Colebrook Gardens and 38 in Hillcroft. Schemes for Chester Close, Harvey Gardens and Audley Gardens will go to the feasibility stage but we are very concerned that any further progress will depend on a further review of the council’s capital programme. Torrington Drive has been added to the council’s ‘long-list’ of potential off-street parking schemes.

Obstructions on verges
There are many verges in Loughton that have been disfigured by unsuitable or thoughtless parking. Where we can, we press for suitable arrangements to meet parking needs and protect verges, but in the current financial conditions it is very hard to get councils to act on these cases. Some residents have taken matters into their own hands, and have placed obstructions on the verges outside their properties – if you would like a copy of the highways guidelines on when such obstructions will be accepted, please email david.linnell@loughtonresidents.co.uk  [Note; these do not apply to verges on District Council Housing land.]

Essex County Council planned road maintenance 2011/12

We are particularly pleased that the road surface near the Smarts Lane/Shaftesbury/Earls Path crossroads, which is seriously defective, is on list for repairs in 2011-2. LRA County Cllr Chris Pond will be reminding them about it until it’s carried out.

Oakwood Hill & Torrington Drive bus shelters
Thanks to constant pressure from LRA County Cllr Chris Pond, County Highways have finally reinstalled the bus shelters.

New parking restrictions
LRA County Cllr Chris Pond has been chasing up the proposed “Traffic Regulation Orders” on:

• Hazelwood, No Waiting Mon – Fri 11am –12.00pm. This restriction will be introduced.
• Millsmead Way, No Waiting At Any Time. There appears to be agreement that it would be better to have a restriction on one side of the road only (instead of both sides), and we are waiting to find out how this will be put into effect.

There are also changes in the pipeline for:

• Nevill Way, No Waiting At Any Time – Junction Protection. This restriction is needed for safety reasons, and will be introduced.
• Upper Park, No Waiting At Any Time. This restriction will be introduced.

Meadow Road:
There are no funds available for a traditional Residents’ Parking Scheme, but we understand discussions are underway to install a scheme at residents’ expense.

Potholes
Please report deep pot-holes (and all other Highways problems) to County Highways at www.essex.gov.uk (click on “Report a highway problem”)

For the criteria used to categorise repairs, see 
http://www.essex.gov.uk/Travel-Highways/Roads-Cars/Documents/Essex_Highway_Maintenance_Strategy_April_08.pdf

Possible help for cul-de-sacs
It is possible that we may be able to get protection for residents' parking for cul-de-sacs under new regulations, by just having signs at the entry point. We are strongly in favour of this approach, which would be very useful on the Debden estate and also elsewhere in Loughton, for example in Meadow Road, The Drive, Staples Rd, Shaftesbury and many others).