Request for safety improvements on A519 through Cotes Heath

Dear Mrs Jones,

I refer to the petition, signed by local residents regarding requests for safety improvements on the A519 through Cotes Heath. I can advise you that receipt of the petition will be reported to Cllr Helen Fisher, Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport.

Staffordshire County Council takes road safety extremely seriously and all road safety considerations across the county are supported through the collation of objectively measured data which is challenged and rationalised. This approach has led Staffordshire to have one of the safest county council road networks in the country.

We are aware of the concerns raised in the petition in relation to road safety and these concerns are shared by the local County Councillor Jeremy Pert who has been working with the County Council’s Highways department to study data we hold for the location and investigate viable solutions.

The County Council justifies the significant investment of road safety improvements on the basis of a reduction in personal injury collisions at the location. Each accident saved, produces a cost benefit to society as a whole through reduced emergency service involvement, reduced hospital costs, reduced loss of earnings for injured parties and loss of productivity, reduced insurance claims and so on.

Every site that is recommended for treatment on an accident basis is prioritised for funding across the County. As the budget for road safety improvements is finite it is the sites with the greatest proven need which are treated first and these will have a cluster of incidents with a discernible trend or pattern in the cause of each.

Thankfully, Newcastle Road, Cotes Heath is considered to have a good road safety record in terms of its road traffic collision history and data we hold for traffic speeds. As such it does not meet the criteria in terms of speed related collisions for speed reducing engineering measures to be considered at this time.

However, where data does not exist to support road safety improvements, but where community concern remains, the Divisional Highway Programme (DHP) can be used to secure funding for measures that would otherwise not meet the criteria for intervention.

Councillor Pert has considered local concerns and prioritised these against other similarly sincere highway concerns within his division. Using his DHP funds, works have been raised to:

• Extend the solid white lines that restrict overtaking coming from the north to past Nelson Crescent to reduce the possibility of inappropriate overtaking and potentially reduce traffic speed slightly in that area

• Improve the signage by putting in a staggered junction sign on a yellow backing on a separate sign post to the one that it currently shares with that for Cotes Lane – about 120 – 130 m away from the junction with Nelson Crescent

• Add near Station Road a 'slow' road marking, in addition to the one that is already there adjacent to the new sign post about 120 – 130 m from the junction with Nelson Crescent

The above measures are intended to provide a benefit to overall road safety on this route and we will of course continue to monitor the data for this location.

Should you require further information regarding your petition please contact Richard Rayson Community Infrastructure Liaison Manager on 0300 111 8000.

Yours sincerely

Amanda Felton

Executive Support Officer