| Response for e-petition “Take-urgent-action-to-make-the-A414-Longabout-at-Colney-Heath-safer” “Traffic light trials on the Longabout A414 Colney Heath, took place well over 18 month ago, and the long awaited report published in late January 2017 recommends works to address the appalling road safety issues associated with this junction. The signatories of this petition call for the County Highways' department to urgently install the traffic lights and carriageway alterations proposed in the report to prevent further loss of life and injury to road users.” Response The petition was presented to the Highways Cabinet Panel on 5 September 2017 and members were asked to consider an officer report which set out the background to the traffic signals trial and an explanation of why the scheme had not progressed further. The site has appeared regularly on the county council’s annual hazardous sites list which identifies locations with 6 or more personal injury collisions within a 75m circle that have occurred over a 3 year period. As an identified Hazardous site, the collisions at the Colney Heath Longabout were analysed to see if there were any common factors in the collisions that could be addressed by engineering measures. There were concerns that the proposed solution of the installation of traffic signal control at the junction could cause severe levels of traffic congestion on this part of the primary route network. To address these concerns a short term trial of traffic signal control at the junction was carried out. The trial demonstrated that a signalised junction could be installed without causing severe congestion. The estimated cost of permanently installing traffic signals at this location is in the region of £500,000. Schemes identified for safety improvements are assessed using nationally recognised criteria to identify value for money and need to deliver an Economic Rate of Return (ERR) in excess of 100% to be considered as suitable for funding solely from the County Council’s casualty reduction budgets. The optimistic ERR was calculated at 57%, which prevented the scheme progressing as an independent Casualty Reduction Scheme. Other sources of funding would therefore have to be identified. The County Council has been developing a long term Strategy for the A414. This is considering the wider role of the route and the implications of the growth that is set out in a number of Local Planning Authorities’ Local Plans that is likely to directly affect the corridor. The potential scheme at the Colney Heath Longabout fits well with a number of the aims for the A414 corridor including, helping to provide improved safety, more resilience and control on the network and potential to improve accessibility for sustainable modes of travel. Whilst full funding from the County Council’s Casualty Reduction programme could not be justified to enable immediate scheme implementation, it has been established that the traffic signal scheme will also support the emerging A414 Strategy and therefore it is being included within the 2018/19 IWP Preparation Programme for implementation within the 2019/20 IWP Delivery Programme. The Highways Cabinet Panel of 5 September 2017 agreed to note the report and the inclusion of the project in the 2018/19 Integrated Works Programme (IWP) Preparation Programme for implementation prioritised within the 2019/20 IWP Delivery Programme, subject to successful design and final funding approval. The Minutes of the Cabinet Panel and the papers relating to the petition can be viewed at Highways Cabinet Panel - 5 September 2017 |