Traffic Management

Hampshire County Council is the Highway Authority for all roads in the County, with the exception of the M3 and M27 motorways and the A34, A303 and A31 trunk roads which are the responsibility of the Department for Transport’s Highways Agency.  There are also a number of military roads and private roads which are managed separately.

As a Highway Authority, the County Council has a duty to manage the road network so as to ensure, as far as possible, the safe and convenient movement of traffic, which includes pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. Traffic management involves the use of on-street parking controls, speed limits, lorry controls, direction signing, traffic calming and pedestrian crossing facilities to help keep traffic moving and improve safety. The protection of communities from the impact of inappropriate traffic is a particularly challenging issue.

The Hampshire Local Transport Plan sets out the policies and programmes for transport related investment in the County, the principle traffic aims being to reduce the harmful impact of the car and to tackle congestion, speed and pollution issues.  Traffic management matters are investigated by the County Council’s Traffic Management Group or by the local District or Borough Council’s Traffic Team, depending where the problem is located.

Hampshire Police are responsible for all moving traffic offences in the County, including speeding, and for offences such as obstruction and contravention of prohibited turns or weight limits.  An increasing number of District and Borough Councils are taking on responsibility for parking matters through Civil Parking Enforcement by local civil enforcement officers.