Reminder – Resident Meeting with Highways – Mon 16th March, 8pm, Loder Hall

A village meeting with West Northamptonshire Council has been arranged for Monday 16th March – 8pm, at the Loder Hall, Maidwell.  This will be an excellent opportunity for you to raise any concerns that you have about the A508 directly with the WNC and members of the Highways teams.  We are hoping that a representative of Northamptonshire police will also attend.  We have also invited Stuart Andrew, our local MP – his office has indicated that his attendance will depend on parliamentary business taking place that evening.

 

The Parish Council have had ongoing dialogue with Highways and other relevant agencies for a number of years about traffic through the village and as a result, a number of actions have been implemented;

• the speed limits have been reduced from 50, through 40, to 30 mph.
• gateways have been built at either end of the village to reinforce that drivers are entering a residential area
• hatchings have been placed along the side of the road to create an impression of narrowing
• a 40 mph limit was introduced on the south side of the village as it was felt the 30 mph limit was too extensive and was not complied with
• Speed Indicator Devices have been placed at the north end of the village and in the village to encourage drivers to slow down and to provide us with detailed speed data.

There has also been a programme of repairs over the last 18 months which were recently completed. We have been appreciative of Highways support in working with us to implement changes. We also have regular visits from the police speed van, which is the most effective deterrent in terms of speed through the village.

 

Residents continue to raise concerns about the volume and speed of HGV’s that travel through the village, particularly at night. Their weight, combined with the uneven road surface, creates tremendous noise and residents indicate that their properties shake and have cracks. The A14 repairs over the next 4 months mean that overnight traffic through the village has increased significantly and this is a further concern. Residents also report that the current road surface creates greater noise than previous surfaces that have been in place.

 

In addition, there are concerns about the speed of vehicles leaving the village to the south, ignoring speed limits and completing dangerous overtaking manoeuvres past the crossroads to the south end, due to frustrations over vehicles in front complying with the speed limit.

 

Given ongoing concerns raised by residents, the Parish Council felt that it would be constructive to hold a meeting so that residents can express their concerns and frustrations directly to WNC/Police and hear directly what they have to say.  We would encourage you to attend if you wish to raise any issues.

If you require any further information or have any questions about the evening, please contact one of the councillors or the Parish Clerk.

Maidwell with Draughton Parish Council