Road Calming in Manor Lane - Tom McGowran

I have lived in Manor Lane for nearly forty years and in that time have experienced a growth both in the number of vehicles using the lane and the speed they are travelling at. I have noted that since the chicanes were installed on Ermin St. there has been an increase in the through traffic East to West. Many of these drivers are travelling at an inappropriate speed in the lane but not necessarily breaking the speed limit of 30mph. I have questioned some drivers as to why they were using the lane as a through route and they have replied that their GPS systems have guided them that way!

When travelling East on Ermin St towards the chicane one can observe that if traffic is halted to allow east bound traffic, the entrance to Manor Lane is welcoming and it is all too easy to turn left and use the lane as a shortcut to Aldbourne Road. The Government published its national Strategic Framework for Road Safety (SFRS)12 in May 2011. It places an expectation on local government to continue to prioritise road safety and seek improvements by adopting policies that reflect local priorities and circumstances. The SFRS emphasises the importance of local decision-making to reflect local road safety priorities. A key theme of the SFRS is to ‘make it easier for road users to do the right thing’.

Fast and aggressive driving intimidates all road users, particularly pedestrians and cyclists. It deters people from these sustainable modes and may discourage parents from allowing their children to walk and cycle to school and for other journeys.

Many suggestions have been put forward to calm traffic in the lane, these include;  Make the lane one way. The problem with this is that traffic is likely to speed up knowing no one is coming in the opposite direction.  Make the last 50 yards from Dark Lane to Ermin St one way. Effectively no entry from Ermin St. This would make the lane a no through route but would have the consequence of lorries visiting the sewage works would then have to use the Aldbourne Road entrance to the lane.  No Entry signs for through traffic; These are used at the Foxhill crossroads on the way to Wanborough. Unless this type of signage is monitored no one takes any notice.  Speed humps could be considered. These cause an increase in noise and pollution. Surveys have indicated that drivers speed up between humps. 

One can also apply to make the road a children's play area or quiet street. This allows one to close the road to through traffic and give children the right to play in the road. This does not affect residential use of the road. This is difficult to monitor. One could also apply to close the road with a gate or barrier across the road, say between Waldrons Close and Dark Lane. Emergency appliances and service vehicles would have a key for access. This particular calming measure is one of the few measures available that does not have to be policed to be effective.

Manor lane currently meets the criteria for reducing the speed limit to 20mph. It has no pavements, narrow with poor street lighting, a youth club/playgroup village hall, many blind spots together with numerous driveways which necessitate cars reversing into the carriageway.  I am informed that the cost of reducing the speed limit would be in the region of £4,000. Whilst this speed limit cannot be monitored it would at least be a start in informing drivers that it is inappropriate to exceed this speed. Secondly I would recommend that the entrance from Ermin Street into Manor Lane be reduced or squared off to discourage through drivers from taking it as a shortcut.  Manor Lane is only one road in Baydon that needs traffic calming but it is perhaps one of the easiest to implement traffic calming upon.

(Traffic calming news report provided by Tom McGowran a resident of Manor Lane) 

Click here to return to the main Homepage