Residents and businesses favour trial to lower Yew Tree Drive bollards

Monday, 18 March 2013

Following a consultation with residents and businesses, where 83% of respondents said they would be in favour of the bollards on Yew Tree Drive in Whiteley being lowered, Hampshire County Council has proposed a three month trial to allow a proper evaluation of the traffic impacts. The trial will follow immediately after the Highways Agency's work on the M27, for which the bollards were lowered on 12 March.

Residents and businesses in Whiteley as well as those in Burridge, Swanwick,and Curbridge, were asked their views on whether opening Yew Tree Drive to all traffic would be the best approach to managing traffic in Whiteley and the surrounding area. The three week consultation took place in February.

Councillor Mel Kendal, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Environment & Transport at Hampshire County Council, said: "First of all, I'd like to thank the residents and businesses who took the time to respond to us. We sent out over 5,000 letters, and received a response rate of just over 50% . With 83% of those who replied saying they were in favour of lowering the bollards, we will be putting in an application to Fareham Borough Council for a trial so we can then monitor traffic levels and then analyse the impacts."

Of those living on the eastern (Whiteley) side of the bus gate, 93% were in favour of the trial to lower the bollards, compared with 69% of those living on the western (Botley Road) side.

The trial is proposed to begin later this year, once Highways Agency works on the M27 at junction 9, expected to take 30 weeks have been completed. While these works are taking place, the bollards will be lowered as part of emergency measures to limit the level of disruption on the local road network by reducing the amount of local road traffic having to travel through junction 9. As traffic during this time is expected to be different from usual, the actual trial will begin once Highways Agency works are finished and traffic patterns revert back to normal.

Some mitigation measures have already been put in place ahead of the Highways Agency works, including signing, new lines and speed limit reminders. Further mitigation measures are now being investigated which will be put in place to support the trial.

• M27 Junction 9 Pier Replacement

« News Calendar