The A34 extension and noise

With the new A34 extension I find more traffic noise especially when it a nice day.

I find nice weekends and the summer evening the worst, the sound from motorbikes racing down the bypass can be heard loud and clear. If seems a small number a drivers and riders are using the bypass like a race track. (Similar to when the M6 toll road was open)

I’m not sure if it’s just me being over sensitive here at Wilton Crescent! Wonder if others at other nearby neighbourhood has felt the same?

Has the project ended? It would be nice if some action are taken:

1. Further noise reduction screening
2. Have police monitor motorcycle and cars speed and noise.
3. Reduce the speed limit near residential area down to 40
4. Introduce average speed cameras to stop speeding.

ever since the handforth dean to refuge section of the by pass was opened years ago we’ve been able to hear traffic noise across the fields and on the estate esp in summer sometimes it sounds more like oulton park rather than a bypass. i see we now also have a gypsy encampment near the new round about!

The project is pretty much complete, I was talking to Doug Mackie yesterday at the Melrose Way naming ceremony.  He was the lead officer from CEC in charge of building the bypass.  He has now retired and is returning to work for occasional days just to finish off some final details.  Wilton Crescent has always been an area which was vulnerable to noise from the bypass.  Screening has been designed and planted with a view to providing some amelioration for this problem - however - it does have to be given time to grow and become effective.  Unhelpfully I suspect that the answer is to give it a few years and if the problem remains, to canvass CEC to put up more noise protection.

Speed limits are set for the road conditions and limits that look unrealistic get generally ignored.  The police have reducing capacity for enforcement and oppose almost every speed limit reduction on the basis that they will not have the resources to enforce it.

Permanent average speed cameras are horrifically expensive.  Its not far short of £200,00 for each camera - and you have to have a minimum of 3.  The scheme introduced on the Cat and Fiddle route was funded by central government, CEC could never have afforded it.

I’ve walked the dogs along the bypass today the found that many of the planted trees did not grow, if it failed to grow now in August, I can’t see them growing next year. Has CEC monitor the progress of the screening?

I have sent a photo of the plants to Lisa.