Date received: 11 February 2020
Signatories received: 355
Name of petioner: Mrs A Didier
Petition response:
I refer to the petition, signed by local residents, parents and staff of the school regarding the request for Highway Improvements along Weston Road, Stafford. I can advise you that receipt of the petition will be reported to Cllr Helen Fisher, Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport.
Staffordshire has one of the safest county council road networks in the country but we welcome and encourage feedback from communities in relation to matters surrounding road safety.
As Weston Road has a speed limit of 40mph there are repeater signs reiterating this to road users to ensure they are aware of what the correct speed limit is. There is already vehicle activated signs as you approach The Weston Road Academy. It is important to note that these signs are only advisory and cannot be enforced by the police however the 40mph speed limit is enforceable.
Due to the increase in demand for services and increased constraints on resources, the County Council is not currently in a position to erect speed cameras however the Police Headquarters are on the same road which would increase the amount of police presence to enforce traffic speeds.
I can see you have also suggested pedestrian guard rails on the Veritas side of Weston Road to protect pedestrians. Pedestrian guard rails are there to prevent pedestrians from crossing the road rather than protecting pedestrians from potential accidents. The section of the footway you refer to also has a cycle way which means pedestrians are further away from the carriageway therefore reducing any potential health and safety risks.
While drop off and pick up times outside schools can be a particularly busy time, we would always ask people to park responsibly and be considerate to residents, other drivers, children and their parents when parking.
We do listen to residents and work with local communities if they have concerns about road safety in their area. Requests for things like extra double yellow lines can be explored by the local member as part of their local highways programme, however, these would have to be prioritised against other matters in the area. Police would be able to enforce any parked cars on yellow zig-zags however, stationary traffic is not enforceable.
There is a pedestrian crossing near to the roundabout on the A513 Beaconside which leads to a paved area however this is not signalised yet. A request to get this crossing changed to a signalised crossing has been recorded on the Divisional Highway Programme (DHP) for the local County Councillor John Francis.
The County Councillor may consider funding further investigation into your concerns in the future and if the matter is considered a Local Community Priority over other similarly sincere highway concerns within the division. We are unable to confirm if (and when) an issue will be prioritised nor are we able to inform individuals of the status of their reported issue on an ongoing basis.
I hope the you find this reply informative and should you require further information regarding your petition please contact Tom Underwood
Yours sincerely
Tom Underwood
Community Highway Support Officer