At Hockley Heath's consultative event there was great concern over the level of traffic in the village - particularly on School Road and Stratford Road. The roads were described as inadequate, unsafe, narrow, rural and unable to cope with traffic today, let alone future developments. SMBC should instigate formal traffic monitoring to validate the traffic management study with respect to BVP, and HHPC would welcome discussions in this regard.
I acknowledge and welcome the plan's commitment to ensuring new developments are located in locations where reliance on the private car is low, and the statement that developments should be focussed in the most accessible locations, and do not result in the reduction of safety for users of the highway or other transport network.
A freight management strategy which removes the heaviest vehicles from residential roads is a positive move and would be welcomed in Hockley Heath as the Stratford Road (A34) is a relief road for the M40 / M42 network at times of accidents, roadworks and excessive traffic. HHPC would expect SMBC to support HHPC attempts to mitigate traffic impacts from developments, and policy wording to this effect would be welcomed.
The consultative event also demonstrated residents' desire for more cycle lanes / paths and it is disappointing there is so little mention of plans to extend the existing network.