Keep Our Rural Roads Rural

by Jeremy Wood, Committee Member of the Branch Transport Campaign Group

There was an amazing response to the Rural Transport Survey Questionnaire that we sent out last autumn to parish and town councils, as well as amenity groups, throughout Hampshire, with 171 returned completed. Most of our initiatives were supported by more than half of the respondents:

• 85% agreed that more appropriately designed street furniture should be used on our rural roads and that low noise surfaces should be used in open countryside on major roads.
• 80% of respondents would support a 30 mph speed limit in all villages in Hampshire and many would support a 20 mph limit in the centre of their own village.
• 78% agreed that road noise and other urban clutter on rural roads have diminished their rural character.
• 82% would like more traditional directional signposts.

For the full results of the survey click here.

The results are being taken seriously by Hampshire County Council (HCC) and at a meeting between CPRE Hampshire volunteers and the Leader of the Council, Ken Thornber, and colleagues, we were invited to participate in the review of Hampshire's Local Transport Plan. We were also pleased to be invited to HCC's seminar on managing traffic speeds throughout the county.

We are continuing to fight to stop the spread of urban measures and clutter on rural roads and to make them safer for all users. This was our position when we attended the first Local Transport Plan seminar on the 18 March. The clutter campaign, taken up by the national press, was also featured on local television and in the local press. Do more bright signs really make the road safer in the long term?

We are currently evaluating the consequences of the proposed South East Regional Plan, which seeks to reduce the dependence on the car and lorry, without adequately addressing the alternatives. If we are to have more houses, and an even more vibrant economy in the South East, then there must be a robust system to protect the landscape and countryside. Without a massive investment in rail there will be even greater pressure on rural areas.

Certain road improvements must be made to improve links between communities. Many rural networks and villages should have the protection of 'quiet lanes' or other speed restricting measures that are in harmony with the landscape and allow all users to use the rural roads in safety.

We are holding a Transport Seminar on Thursday 17 November at Colden Common Park Pavilion, Twyford, near Winchester, when many of the subjects raised above will be discussed again.

November 2004