Road Safety Update
Perth and Kinross Council · 25 May 2023
Back to Kinross-shire Committee — 25 May 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL Kinross-shire Area Committee 25 May 2023 ROAD SAFETY UPDATE Report by Head of Environmental and Consumer Services (Report No. 23/151) 1. PURPOSE OF REPORT 1.1 The purpose of this report is to advise members of progress on the various road safety concerns raised about the public road network in Ward 8 raised with officers prior to the meeting. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 It is recommended that Committee: • notes the proposals set out at section 6 of this report • requests that an update be brought to a future committee meeting 3. STRUCTURE OF REPORT 3.1 This report is structured over the following sections: • Section 4: Background • Section 5: Issues and Concerns • Section 6: Proposals • Section 5: Conclusion 4. BACKGROUND 4.1 Perth and Kinross Council’s road safety projects assessment criteria provides a procedure for prioritising traffic management and road safety projects. This was approved by the E&I Committee in March 2019 (E Report No. 19/83 refers). All potential schemes are assessed and, if considered appropriate, ranked against other projects to ensure those schemes that deliver the greatest benefit to local communities are delivered first. With each financial year, projects are assigned to the relevant programme of works and budget, then installed as resources permit. 4.2 Therefore, whilst one area may have a number of road safety priorities, these need to be assessed and considered alongside priorities identified in other areas. 4.3 The list of proposed projects is based on a technical assessment of the road usage and road environment. The assessment criteria does not take into account community concerns about perceived road safety. The Traffic &
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Network Team meets with the Ward Councillors every three months to review the list and identify community priorities. In some circumstances, some of these preferred schemes that may have a lower ranking can be progressed first to address community concerns if there is elected member support. This may result in projects with a higher priority on the project list being pushed back within the overall programme. 5. ISSUES AND CONCERNS 5.1 Reduced speed limits 5.1.1 Work is ongoing on the preparation of the Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO) for the various 20mph, 30mph and 40mph speed limits on the TRO programme identified as community priorities. Installation is scheduled for Summer 2023. Once completed, a further set of reduced speed limits will be selected and progressed. 5.2 School Keep Clear markings 5.2.1 Work is ongoing on the preparation of the Traffic Regulation Orders for the School Keep Clear markings on the TRO programme identified as community priorities. Installation is scheduled for Autumn 2023. 5.3 Waiting restrictions 5.3.1 Work is ongoing on the preparation of the Traffic Regulation Orders for the various waiting restrictions on the TRO programme identified as community priorities. Installation is scheduled for Autumn 2023. Once completed, a further set of waiting restrictions will be selected and progressed. 5.4 Kinross Town Centre Regeneration scheme 5.4.1 New “Give Way” road markings and a regulatory sign have been designed and ordered, along with an advanced direction sign, for the Burns Begg Road junction with High Street, Kinross. The adhesion between the thermoplastic road marking material and the stone setts in the carriageway surface will be poor, so this is viewed as a temporary measure until alternative materials or surface treatments can be investigated. 5.4.2 Traffic surveys in Kinross town centre are scheduled for May and June 2023 to record traffic volumes, vehicle speeds and vehicle categories. The surveys will also identify any changes in travel patterns since the previous surveys undertaken in 2019. This information will help determine whether additional traffic calming measures, such as a priority system at the south of the town centre, are required. If traffic flows have increased, particularly regarding commercial vehicles, an Origin & Destination (OD) survey will be undertaken.
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5.5 A977 Mitigation Measures 5.5.1 The mitigation measures in the A977 Route Action Plan were formulated and agreed with the local elected members and Fossoway Community Council. To date, a series of measures have been installed: • Traffic signals in Blairingone at the Saline junction • Vehicle-activated signs in each of the villages along the route • Upgraded direction, advance direction and warning signs along the route • New gateway signs at the entrances to all the villages 5.5.2 Work commenced on the signalisation of the School Road junction in Crook of Devon but was delayed due to issues with utilities in the verge that needed to be addressed. The project was postponed during the Covid pandemic as resources were directed to other priorities of work. Recently, design work has recommenced on the Station Road project and construction work on the ground is now programmed for later this calendar year. 5.5.3 There are three remaining major road schemes in the A977 Mitigation Measures project: • School Road/Station Road traffic signals (partially completed) • A977/B9097 junction realignment and • Drum crossroads signalisation 5.5.4 The junction realignment was originally proposed as the second priority and, if funding was still available, the signalisation of the crossroads would then be undertaken. At a recent meeting with the Ward Councillors and Fossoway Community Council, the Council was requested to prioritise the crossroads signalisation ahead of the junction realignment. We agreed to this programme change as there was full support from the elected community representatives. With increased costs in materials, the Ward Members and members of the Community Council have been advised that, until the School Road signalisation project was completed, we would not know whether there would be sufficient funding in the current budget to undertake (and complete) either of the next two projects. Additional funding of £300,000 was made available through the budget process this financial year to help complete these A977 projects. 6. PROPOSALS 6.1 The Committee is asked to note the progress on the following road safety measures: (i) 20mph speed limits being installed at Crook of Devon, Drum, Glenfarg, Keltybridge, Kinross Maryburgh, Milnathort and Scotlandwell. (ii) 30mph speed limits being installed at Auchmuirbridge, Carnbo, Easter Balgedie, Gallowhill Road, Glenfarg and Wester Balgedie. (iii) 40mph speed limits being installed at Drum, Maryburgh and from Scotlandwell to Auchmuirbridge.
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(iv) School Keep Clear markings being installed at Station Road for Kinross Primary School. (v) Waiting restrictions being installed within the car park at Kinross Primary School and at Muirs/The Sycamores to discourage unauthorised parking and prevent obstruction. (vi) Give Way markings and road sign being installed on Burns Begg Street at High Street junction. (ix) Traffic surveys being undertaken in Kinross town centre. (x) Traffic signals programmed for School Road, Crook of Devon (xi) Design work underway for traffic signals at Drum crossroads (xii) Design work underway for junction realignment at A977/B9097 junction in Drum. 7. CONCLUSION 7.1 The introduction of the various speed limits and signs contained within this report will inform drivers of potential hazards on the road layout ahead and enable them to adjust their speed and position accordingly. Greater awareness of the road environment, combined with improved speed management, will reduce the risk of conflict between the various road users.