Opposition grows over plans to slow down traffic on Portsmouth road
CHANGES Farlington Avenue
CONTROVERSIAL plans to slow down traffic on a Portsmouth road have once again met with objections from residents.
Portsmouth City Council is holding a consultation into measures they hope will reduce the speed of cars driving south along Farlington Avenue, in Farlington.
The road has a 20mph limit but the average vehicle speed is 34mph, which poses ‘a significant road safety risk to residents’ according to a council report.
Suggested measures include installing a chicane, narrowing the road and changing which cars have priority at the junction with Moortown Avenue.
The council is hoping to put up a chevron sign and safety barrier where Farlington Avenue meets Blake Road after grandmother Barbara Samuels had her garden wall destroyed twice by cars.
The proposed changes, which will cost around £150,000, were put forward after a scheme to close part of the southbound road was abandoned because of opposition from local people.
But some residents still do not believe the changes will fix the problem.
Sam Samuels, 49, said although he was pleased his mother’s wall would be protected he did not think the traffic calming measures would be enough to reduce speeds on the road.
‘Unless you prosecute people regularly for speeding they are not going to stop,’ he said.
‘Otherwise, they just see the calming measures as a challenge. What is needed is a speed camera on that road. It might not be popular but it would make people think twice.’
Janice Burkinshaw, of Moorings Way, Milton, questioned whether the measures are a good idea at all.
She said: ‘As we all know, blockages do occur on the motorway through accidents and emergencies.
‘London Road as it rises at Portsdown Hill can suffer badly from ice and snow. Surely Farlington Avenue should remain an alternative route.
‘Wouldn’t it be cheaper and far more practical to install signs which fire up when approaching traffic is too fast or to change this road back to 30mph?’
The city council’s deputy head of transport Pam Turton said: ‘We are working with the community to get proposals that are good for everybody.’
The consultation will continue until February 9 and views can be sent to Adam Bunce, Portsmouth City Council, Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2NE.
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Comments
There are 18 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
Graham Wheatley
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 01:23 PMAl, are you confusing me with another? Like everyone else, I'm always interested to hear what is going on in the city. Thanks for the offer but I think you might be better advised to pass that information to people who are more able to evaluate and act on it (i.e. the Police, other councillors, the relevent 'action group' if there is one). Regards GW.
Little Al
Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 06:04 PMDear Mr Wheatley, would you like some irrefutable evidence, where Cllr Lynn Stagg has admitted she aided and abetted Cllr Cheryl Buggy's deception? We also have the documented evidence to support the conspiracy of senior officers of PCC aiding and abetting Cllr Buggy's deception
Graham Wheatley
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 01:24 AMWe should all acknowledge that (almost) everybody lives on someone elses route to work - school - shops - hospital - health-club - restaurant - cinema etc etc. It is ridiculous to continually pander to the very selfish and narrow-minded thinking of some 'local' residents that 'their' road should be made one-way or be stopped-up because (they think...) it is busier than they would like or that it has become a 'rat-run'! Many will be the first to complain about how difficult it is to move around once they get more than two streets away from where they live because er.... someone else has succeeded in having their street made one-way! There is a need for one-way streets and localised 20mph speed limits, but not EVERYWHERE, as Cllr. Stagg wanted when she was occupying the position of Cabinet Member for T&T. --- I am perfectly happy for other people to travel along the road in which I live. It would be ludicrous for the situation to be otherwise. --- The further absurdity is that PCC's traffic policy forces drivers to use alternative routes when they start faffing around with road junctions and layouts. The no-right-turn changes at the junction of Velder Ave-Rodney Rd-Milton Rd now means that traffic from the Eastern Rd MUST 'rat-run' along Hayling Avenue or Langstone Road in order to access the northern part of Milton Road. Traffic planning?! Don't make me laugh!
Hibernian
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 11:22 PMIts a shame that pcc could do that for the road I live in, its a rat run for school runs and for other traffic avoiding the main jammed road in rush hour. When asked at a local meeting what they intend to do as we the residents requested our road to be made one way in opposite direction, we were told that pcc would not do that as our road is a relief road for the main road. So when someone gets knocked down or even fatally injured what will the bozos in the council say then.
pirate pete
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 05:34 PMHave just been on the phone to the council and they have assured me they are doing everything they can to increase the number of 4 way lights in the city. If anyone know a supplier of temporary traffic lights can they let the council know their phone number. To alleviate any boredom whilst waiting for lights to change the council will position a fully costumed Dickensian character to shout extracts of Martin Chuslewit at you.
raycblue
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 04:06 PMThe comment by 'Anonymous Coward' is absolute nonesense. If it is the intention to drive up or down Farlington Avenue,or anywhere else for that matter,at 20mph then any driver with adequate skills would find it straightforward. Proper use of accelerator,brake and correct gear would be fine. After all you wouldn't drive at 30mph in a car park. Or would you!!?.
MrBlueSky
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 01:16 PM"Wouldnât it be cheaper and far more practical to install signs which fire up when approaching traffic is too fast " There is a 'sign' near the top of Farlington Avenue - on the way down. But in the few years I've known this sign there I think I have seen it work twice! Maybe PCC should invest in 'longer life' batteries...
Anonymous Coward
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 01:02 PMFarlington Avenue is one of the worst 20 limit roads - I find myself often crossing PCC's favourite limit simply by trying to get the car to go up the hill using Ecosafe driving! The "right" gear to climb the hill will easily take you to 30, and seems to argue at being under 20. The next gear down makes the engine cry loud enough to wake the dead!
taxivinnie
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 12:46 PMJust do what there doing at the moment , and put never ending road works along that stretch. You cant go over 20 mph at the moment in the City as just about all main routes have four way temporary traffic lights !
Flying bull
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 12:23 PMThanks for that Yocal you have cleared up my confusion. You must have gone to a grammer school.
Yocal
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 12:16 PMIt's no wonder that many people end up in debt if the only calculation they do is so simple as that implied by Flying Bull. To assess the real costs, one would analyse a period of say 20 years (or more). Work out how much traffic calming measures would cost over that period (installation and continued maintenance) and do the same for the policemans time and other options. Given that the policemen would need to be there 247 the costs over 20 years or so would be about half a million pounds in wages! Maybe that would be cheaper, but no one hear knows without figures to compare. Yes, ask the community what they want. But firstly work out the cost of the options and show what they are.
pirate pete
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 11:15 AMIt would not matter which direction you drive along Eastern Rd as the speed cameras of Portsmouth are not switched on. But yes 2 working cameras in Farlington Ave would work just fine.
Le Critique
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 10:55 AMI hear this all around the City.....Police the road to slow drivers down. Aren't the Police supposed to be stretched as it is? You have to be realistic about that. I don't think many residents groups appreciate that there can't be a permanant Copper for every street and road sometimes. A GATSO speed camera would definately slow traffic down. Drivers tend to slow down for them and then speed up afterwards but in Farlington Avenue the last time I went through there, there were speed bumps. The combination of speed bumps and a GATSO should slow things down. Most GATSO's don't even need to be turned on to have the desired effect. The one on the Eastern Road is turned one way but the drivers on the other side of the road (where it's not pointing) always seem to slow down for it even though it would make no difference if they whizzed past it at 100 mph. There seems to be a fear of GATSO's so that is what you need.
grammarschoolboy
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 10:35 AMI went to school in Solent Road as a lad many years ago and the traffic going up and down Farlington Avenue was exactly the same.I assume the main cause of all this is the amount of cars using Farlington Avenue as a "through road" to get from Havant Road up to the hill and vice versa? Blocking it off at the top is not an option as the resindents would suffer so why not install cameras and prosececute all those who go over the speed limit. Or is that too draconian for the people with cars?
lovemydog
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 10:00 AMThe voice of reason (occasionally @2..... I agree with your comment. I think a camera would be a better ideal than yet more obstacles to negotiate on the roads. There will always be a driver who thinks heshe can drive at a speed.
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