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The Forum

Title: Update report from Transport for Buckinghamshire

Date: 27 October 2014

Author: John Lowe Area Manager Chiltern & District Contact officer: Janet Newell Transport Localities Team Leader

Electoral divisions affected: Parishes within the LAF

Summary

1. From 2010 this standard report will be issued to each Local Area Forum (LAF) / Local Community Partnership (LCP) from Transport for Buckinghamshire.

2. It will aim to provide a comprehensive update on current and relevant Transportation issues which are tailored to each individual LAF / LCP.

3. Standard topics to be covered will be:

- Dates of when Local Community Gangs will visit parishes - Major issues likely to affect parishes within the LAF / LCP - Update on ongoing local issues - Policy Development - Any other information

4. In addition, it will cover any emerging issues which could or will affect Local Area Forum / Local Community Partnership areas.

Capital Maintenance Programme Update

A list of all planned Capital Carriageway, Footway and Severe Weather sites for 2014-15 for The Beaconsfield Forum with approximate dates of working.

Although these dates are currently correct, these works are all part of rolling and extremely weather dependent programmes. Therefore work starting on site is dependent on progress on the previous sites on the programme - this means these dates are still subject to change and often at short notice.

Road Name Location Treatment Scheme Anticipated Type Choice Start Date End, Butlers Court Road Surfacing Member Choice Completed Beaconsfield to A355/A40 Junction Burnham Road, A355 to Woodland Surface Dressing Predict & Prevent Completed Beaconsfield Cottages Road, London Road Surface Dressing Predict & Prevent Completed Beaconsfield (A40) to M40 Wycombe End, Butlers Court Road Surface Dressing Original Strategic Completed Beaconsfield to Holtspur Top Pot Lane Butlers Court A40 Wycombe Surfacing Minimum Service Completed Road, End to Wattleton Beaconsfield Road Burkes Road, To be assessed Footways Member Choice Completed Beaconsfield

TfB Comms - Update TfB’s Comms team has been out visiting local community events over the summer. Six events were scheduled for a visit including the County Show.

Our severe weather recovery scheme commenced, with drainage jetting and surfacing programmed to treat flood damaged roads. In addition, we started our footway treatment programme, targeting footways that may not have received any attention for a number of years. Buckinghamshire Disability Service is supporting the footway work, assisting with information dissemination.

Social Media - TfB’s weekly pothole blog hold information about work completed; routine maintenance and larger scale work, as well as work that is programmed for the forthcoming week. TfB now has a Facebook page – www.facebook.com/transportforbucks - which contains information in more detail as well as pictures. Over winter Facebook will be used for a number of competitions, so keep your eyes peeled and visit our page for details.

You can now view our routine maintenance and larger scale road repair programme on a map by visiting our website. This new feature allows you to see all the schemes on a single map, or as much or as little as you want! This is part of our new look online Service Information Centre – www.buckscc.gov.uk/transport .

We have started planning for winter. Our vehicles will soon be receiving their winter service and from October we will start to monitor road temperatures. Leaflets and factsheets will be distributed over the winter season and our winter blog will be regularly updated.

Road Safety Safe Drive Stay Alive (SDSA) will be taking place during November. SDSA is a multi- Agency event for 16-24 year olds and aims to reduce the number of young driver casualties on the roads in the Thames Valley. Secondary schools from all over Bucks are bussed to the show at local venues, such as , and . The one hour shows are a hard hitting mix of film and personal testimonies from those involved in crashes, either as a victim, parent or in a professional capacity, such as Police, Fire and Ambulance services.. For more information on dates and how to book a place log onto; http://www.safedrive.org.uk/ or contact June Howlett, e-mail; [email protected]

Winter Driving Workshops – Dates are being confirmed for the popular Winter Driving Workshops in , High Wycombe and . These events take place in the evening and are a mix of presentations on how to prepare your car for the winter, driving in different weather conditions and hands on demonstrations of how to maintain your car during the winter months. Dates will be circulated as soon as they are confirmed, but if you wish to provisionally book a place then contact; June Howlett, e-mail; [email protected]

Rights of Way – Operations Update The Rights of Way Operations Team is responsible for Maintenance and Enforcement on the Rights of Way Network looking after 3300 km of Rights of Way. The County is split into three areas; each area looked after by an Area Rights of Way Officer. North which currently has a vacant post, (Phil Turner the previous officer has left the Operations Team to join the Definitive Map team at County Hall), Central area is looked after by Rosie Taylor and the South by Corinne Waldron.

Each year we arrange to survey 5% of the rights of way network. Most of the surveys are carried out by volunteers and members of the Ramblers’ Association and the Chiltern Society. The paths are picked randomly and are ‘tested’ and walked for 'Ease of Use'. Last year’s results showed that

80% of 5% of paths surveyed were easy to use 96% Signs on Roadside 92% Structures (stiles and gates) were operable, easy to negotiate

The survey has started for this year with the results being available towards the end of the year.

Parish Paths Clearance Fund – This is the first year that the County Council has offered significant funding to parish councils to undertake and manage path clearance work normally undertaken by TfB. Twenty parish councils took up the offer and signed agreements to employ their own contractors to clear up surface vegetation from their paths, with an estimated 80 kilometres of clearance to be completed by these parishes.

The parish councils may also wish to contribute additional money either to cover the cost of clearing additional paths not included on the county council’s annual clearance schedule or to increase the frequency of cuts on specific paths thereby improving the quality of the local path network and encouraging greater use of it.

Due to limited resources, only a very small amount of clearance is being undertaken by TFB this year. The list of parishes where clearance is being carried out may be viewed at http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/environment/rights-of-way/responsibility-and- maintenance/summer-surface-clearance/

Surface Works. Following the extremely wet weather experienced in the early part of the year, the team has identified a number of surface repair works that are intended to be done this financial year. Clearly, finances limit the number of jobs that can be undertaken and repairs are prioritised to target the very worst.

Improvements to structures and Donate a Gate in Partnerships with the Chiltern

Society. There have been 9 new Donate-a-Gates installed by Chiltern Society Path th Volunteers since March 2014. Theth scheme, which replacesth stiles with gates, is in its 8 year, and has reached the 300 donor and shortly the 400 gate will be installed. The gates are paid for by members of the public through the scheme which is run by the Chiltern Society, and over the years has contributed private funding of £100, 000 into the Chiltern’s walking network, improving access for the less mobile and supporting the stile- free walks initiative.

However, there is no reason why the Donate a Gate project should be restricted just to parishes in the Chiltern Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty area. The Rights of Way Operations Team will be happy to work with and advise any parish wishing to improve structures on rights of way and particularly replacing stiles with gates. For advice, contact your Area Rights of Way Officer on 0845 230 2882.

Delegated Budge Schemes 2014-2015 Proposed Schemes

Scheme Title Value Project Lead Status Update Holtspur Top Lane £33,804 Peter Smyth Scheme has been submitted to Speed Cushios – Road Safety Audit and lighting Phase 2 design currently ongoing. There has been a query from a resident regarding the position of one cushion following marking sites out on road. Awaiting further feedback from resident. Currently programmed for completion February 2015

Waiting Restrictions Programme 2014-2015 - Update

Scheme Comments Planned Date Beaconsfield – Meeting held with NSL, Cllr On Track Phase 2 Busby & Alan Walters to determine exact scope of work. Site meeting with NSL 12/0/14.