Updates On Our Pedestrian Safety And Traffic Calming Schemes
The interim works in Hampton in Arden are now complete! Over the next few months both Solihull MBC Highways and the Parish Council will be reviewing the newly installed measures to determine if and where additional measures may be necessary.
There have been a few incidents by the new Gateway on Meriden Road and we are in discussions with Solihull MBC Highways to see how we can improve the visibility of this new feature. Also, as part of the overall review temporary automatic traffic counters will be installed on the High Street and Meriden Road to measure both traffic volumes and speeds. It’s early days but results from our speed watch surveys suggests that traffic is now travelling a little slower through the village as a result of the new works.
In Catherine-de-Barnes a new pedestrian crossing will be installed between the Boat Inn and the village hall. Detailed design of this new crossing is being carried out by Solihull MBC Highways. We have also submitted a draft pedestrian safety and traffic calming plan for the whole of the village of Catherine-de-Barnes and a meeting has been scheduled with Solihull MBC Highways to discuss the proposals. We will keep you posted with the results of these discussions.
News From Speed Watch!
Willing volunteers continue to support our Community Speed watch initiative which has a target of holding a minimum of two sessions per month. This target is very dependent on a police presence without which we are unable to monitor traffic speeds. We are assured by our Neighbourhood Policing Team that offenders do receive a warning letter although actual prosecution is not possible as we are unable to use the required equipment.
Completion of the initial phase of the Traffic Calming Plan has noticeably reduced traffic speeds along High Street and Meriden Road although a typical hour’s session will still see some 15 to 20 vehicles being “clocked”. It has become apparent that a further two raised tables (humps) between the station and Diddington Lane may be beneficial. A review of the success of the scheme and any improvements needed will be assessed when the results of a traffic survey by Solihull MBC are known (see Pedestrian Safety and Traffic Calming article above).
Airport News
The airport operation has continued to be significantly affected by the UK Covid regulations (as defined by the Government Global Travel Taskforce) with volumes around 25-30% of normal. The airport expects it to take several months for traffic to return to pre-Covid levels.
During August the airport supported the Afghanistan refugee evacuation. Publicity was kept to a minimum due to the sensitivity of the operation and the airport ultimately handled around 60% of the evacuation effort. A 24 hour operation was rapidly setup involving support from the Solihull MBC, airport businesses and relevant charities. Residents may have noticed some exceptional night flight operations during this time which are considered as one-off exceptions to the normal night flying restrictions.
The Parish Council has worked closely with the airport and other local stakeholders via the Airport Consultative Committee (ACC) to develop and agree the night flying policy which is now reviewed every three years. During the summer the government held a national consultation on Night Flying policies to which the ACC responded. The response focused on maintaining the current local policy setting arrangements which have so far been effective in representing our local concerns.
Register Your Interest For Fibre Broadband
We thought readers would be pleased to hear that BT has laid the infrastructure for Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) within Hampton-in-Arden and Catherine-de-Barnes. Most internet providers (such as Plusnet, Vodafone and EE) have confirmed that they will offer FTTP to villagers in these two locations if they have the local demand.
We would urge residents to enquire with their internet provider on the availability of FTTP and register their interest.
Conservation Group – A Call For New Members
The Conservation Group comprises a number of volunteers who meet regularly to help maintain the Spinney and Recreation Ground. The group, led by David Grimshaw is affiliated to the Hampton-in-Arden Society with occasional financial support for equipment from the Parish Council.
Time has taken its toll and the number of volunteers has decreased substantially over the past couple of years. There is now an urgent need for more, and preferably some younger, volunteers to join the Group and anyone interested is asked to contact Parish Clerk Julie Barnes for more information.