Agenda item

             The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Policy and Resources, which advised that a petition had been received from Hale Parish Council containing 393 signatures requesting the introduction of a vehicle weight restriction in Hale Village. The three main concerns put forward related to safety, health and the local environment and were addressed as follows:

·         between the years 2008 to 2013 inclusive there had been no road traffic collisions resulting in injury within the Parish that had involved heavy goods vehicles;

·         there were speed-restriction/traffic calming features on both Hale Gate Road and Hale Road approaching the village;

·         on the main east-west route through the village via Town Lane/High Street/Hale Road there was a footpath available next to the running carriageway;

·         the introduction of a full system of traffic calming was rejected in a public consultation exercise in 2009;

·         a classified traffic count conducted by independent surveyors on Town Lane for the week starting 8^th September 2014 returned a total of just 23 heavy goods vehicles each working day travelling through the village.  This total would include large delivery lorries, skip wagons and others with genuine business in the area that any vehicle weight restriction would not apply to, also agricultural vehicles which were common in an agricultural area;

·         the traffic counter also recorded 52 two axle, double rear wheel vehicles that may or may not be over a weight of 7.5 tonnes unladen.  An automatic counter cannot differentiate between an unladen skip lorry and a much lighter pickup truck, but again for many of the vehicles recorded it was reasonable to assume that they had business within the Parish area and would be entitled to be in the area even if a weight restriction were imposed;

·         it was not considered reasonable that ground borne vibration was an issue in Hale and it had not been raised previously;

·         concerns for the safety of cyclists and walkers had been expressed, however there was no history of complaints to the Council by members of either road user group in relation to HGVs; and

·         the Council had not received complaints about vehicle fumes or pollution in the past.

            In addition, it was noted that any weight restriction to span the village of Hale would need to start at Liverpool Airport in the west and extend to Hale Bank in the east, plan attached in Appendix ‘B’.  Cheshire Police had been consulted and had commented as follows:

“The Police do not support any form of environmental weight restrictions and would only consider such options on road safety grounds.

The logistics of such an area wide restriction across two force areas would negate any form of enforcement.  To prove an offence a police officer, not a PCSO, would need to follow every vehicle for the full length of the restriction in either direction to ensure that they were not legitimately accessing any properties within the controlled area.”

            In support of Hale Parish Council, Councillor Wharton addressed the Board and commented on:

·         the high percentage of Hale residents who had signed the petition;

·         the narrow roads and lack of pavements in Hale;

·         the preference for a pro-active approach rather than waiting for an accident to happen;

·         expressed disappointment with the Police response; and

·         how the recent weight restriction on Hale Bank Road had made the situation in Hale worse.

            RESOLVED: That

1.    the request for a vehicle weight restriction in Hale be noted and the Parish Council be informed that it will not be supported due to the lack of available enforcement from Cheshire Police; and

2.      a further traffic count be carried out in 12 months’ time.