Highways Improvements Requests
Already agreed and expected during 2009
Completion of Mill Road foot path.
Short Term – 1 year
1.
School Lane
a.
Double yellow lines 50 metres from
school gate in both directions – or extension of existing zig zag
markings.
b.
20mph speed limit and traffic calming
measures. The NCC 2007
traffic survey shows that 50% of traffic is exceeding the speed
limit. The
village is increasingly being used as a rat run – the recent housing
developments at Hethersett have led to a noticeable increase.
The PC has been lobbied by parents who are afraid to walk
their children to school because of the speed of passing traffic –
this leads in turn to more traffic as they drive their children to
school!
2. Mill Road – 20mph speed limit – it would be logical to do this at the same time as the extension to the footpath that is planned for Spring 2009.
Medium Term – 2 years
1.
Watton Road – reduction in speed
limit – particularly in the vicinity of the junction with Green
Lane, which is very close to the A47 roundabout and the entrance to
the garden centre – traffic leaves this roundabout at high speed .
2.
The creation of a high quality off
road cycle path that links Hethersett / Little Melton / NRP
and UEA.
The reduction in the provision of free bus services for school
children is forcing children to cycle between LM and Hethersett on
narrow, unlit roads (some of which are a lorry route).
Traffic on these roads is often travelling at 50 to 60mph.
Schools are encouraged by government to promote cycling to
school but many parents
have lobbied the PC about the lack of a safe route for their
children to cycle on.
Many people in both villages work at the UEA/NRP and the hospital.
All of these would be within a 15 min cycle ride.
A safe, off road cycle path would lead to a reduction in
traffic and a healthier population.
The path could cross the A47 either at the end of School lane
via a tunnel or via the existing bridge on Hethersett Lane.
The path must be direct and well separated from the carriageway in
order for people to use it.
(The existing path
from Thickthorn to Hethersett requires users to cycle into the full
headlight glare of 60mph oncoming cars only a few feet away – not
very safe in the evening between Oct and March!
Also it is not direct
enough)
There is an ideal opportunity to get a lot of people onto bikes
here.
3. Road surface improvements
a. School Lane
b. Ringwood Close – repairs required, was scheduled for top dressing in 2007/2008