Central Bedfordshire Highways – Summer 2017Keeping you on the moveA great place to live and work.

Find us online www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/highways www.facebook.com/letstalkcentral @CBC_Highways

NEWSSECTION

Hello and welcome to the summer edition of the Highways newsletter.

It’s an exciting time for highways and I’m delighted to be the new portfolio holder for the service as we aim to improve our standard of work and satisfaction for the customer.

We’re working hard to improve all areas of the service and we have a new team structure to ensure we’re working efficiently, quickly and to a high standard. You can read all about the new structure and who to contact in this edition.

In this edition of the Highways newsletter you will be able to read about the Jetpatcher, our award-winning road safety team, updates on major projects and insight into our Streetworks team.

I hope you enjoy the read.

Many thanks

Cllr Ian Dalgarno Executive Member for Community Services

Welcome

2 www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk Central Bedfordshire Highways – Summer 2017 3

On the road to repairWe’ve bought in two Jetpatchers for the summer to help tackle potholes across the area.

We know from speaking to our residents and road users that potholes are a major concern so we are using the Jetpatcher over the next three months to tackle a significant number of potholes.

We started the programme of works with the Jetpatchers at the beginning of July and in the first month of use they have helped us to repair over 1,300 potholes.

The machine can repair potholes in just two minutes which allows our team to carry out the work without closing the road meaning less disruption to our road users. The speed of the repair is also a lot more efficient financially.

The programme started in Dunstable, Houghton Regis and Maulden but will be visiting the rest of Central Bedfordshire throughout the summer. You can keep up-to-date with the whereabout of the Jetpatchers by following us on Twitter @CBC_Highways.

You can see just how the Jetpatcher works by watching our video.

Jetpatcher 3

Weight Limits Update 4

Award Winning Road Safety Team 5

Highways Restructure 6-7

A421 Update 8

A6-M1 Update 9

Streetworks interview 10

Future Projects 11

Contents

Stats since the last issue

Tweets – 102

Engagements – 443

Reach – 24,000

Followers – 590

Follow us @CBC_ Highways

Potholes tackled in minutes

We’ve been working with

local companies to educate their

drivers about the upcoming area-wide weight limit scheme which will apply to Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Toddington, Chalton and many local roads.

To prepare for the new limits, our road safety team has been working with companies such as Amazon, Eddie Stobart, Tesco, and ASDA to educate their drivers about where the ban will be enforced.

The early talks with the companies have been very positive. The council is continuing to identify companies who use roads in the area and will work with them to ensure compliance with the regulations.

The HGV ban follows the opening of the Woodside Link and A5-M1 Link roads, two major pieces of infrastructure which will help take heavy traffic away from Dunstable and Houghton Regis town centres and regenerate the area.

But the process to implement the ban won’t be complete until the end of the summer, as there are over 500 signs that need to be changed and installed now that the new bypass roads are open.

When the new weight limit restrictions are in place, the council will increase enforcement activity to ensure that HGV drivers use the correct new road routes. This will include the use of additional Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology and extra enforcement officers to help apply the ban.

Area Wide Weight Limits update

Award Winning Road Safety Team

HGV Exemptions

l Emergency servicesl In connection with any building operationl Highways maintenance vehiclesl Agricultural purposesl Public service vehicle purposes such

as busesl In connection with professional driver

training or testing

Exemptions apply to the HGV ban under circumstances, these apply for:

NEWSSECTION

4 www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Earlier this summer the Road Safety Team won an award for its Tyre Safety Film where it was entered for the Annual Tyre Safe awards and awarded the ‘Highly Commended’ Category.

OSCAR and the TyreSafe film is a technological innovative design proven to change drivers’ and passengers’ attitudes towards tyre safety, giving education and understanding, with the added experience of a crash due to poorly maintained tyres. The simulator allows the local community to receive, for free, engaging and important road safety education.

Speaking of the success Stuart Jackson, TyreSafe Chairman said:

“Central Bedfordshire won the Highly Commended Award from TyreSafe because they help spread our potentially life-saving message by dedicating time and resource to ensure the message gets out to the public.

“We are delighted that Central Bedfordshire Council won this award as they are a highly-valued member of TyreSafe.”

OSCAR, our road safety car, is available for free within Central Bedfordshire and has a number of films available from the award-winning tyre safe film, Young Driver Distractions, Drink and Drug Driving and for the younger ones the School Run which offers advice on good passenger behaviour.

If you are holding an event or a host a group that would like to book OSCAR please contact the road safety team on road.safety@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

5Central Bedfordshire Highways – Summer 2017

Over 5,000 people used

OSCAR in 16/17

Highways structure

6 www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Area Teams: The Area Team inspect and order relevant maintenance of the highways, rights of way and trees for their respective area. The Area Team officers liaise with Members and Town and Parish Councils and the public to generate schemes that deliver the strategic transport policy objectives and manage the delivery of these schemes. Officers inspect the construction of third party (e.g. developers or utilities) works on the network to ensure they meet our requirements and standards.

Contact the Area Teams in your respective area to discuss:4 Raising orders for dangerous defects/maintenance4 Rights of Way issues 4 Highway tree issues

RestructureWe have recently restructured the Highways team in order to improve the level of performance throughout the service.

The restructure aimed to improve efficiency on the front line and the customer service for the public, Town and Parish councillors and Members.

To help improve the customer service we have created a Highways Liaison and Technical Liaison Officer role in the Business Support Team. These new roles will develop and co-ordinate

the Highways customer feedback policy and ensure effective customer feedback practice is embedded into behaviours. They will also be responsible for communicating good stories and updating the highways social media accounts.

As well as improving customer service and communication in Highways we have also set up new area teams to help improve the performance on the front line. These area teams will be responsible for the front line maintenance in their respective areas. Please take a look at the map on the next page to see who is in your area team.

AD HighwaysPaul

Mason

PA to ADJudith Wong

Team Leader AssetsDavid

Leverington

Custodian Area 1Nick

Carofalo

Custodian Area 2Mark

Macdonald

Custodian Area 3

Jill Cross

Team Leader Traffic

ManagementPaul

Salmon

Team Leader ContractsMichael Williams

Team Leader Business Support

Jade Jones

Custodian Mark MacDonaldPrincipal Highways Officer Rob Porter 07392 287119Rights of Way Officer Rick Thompson 0300 300 6113Tree Officer Mike Crawshaw 0300 300 6040

Are

a 2

Custodian Nick Carofalo 07392 287083Principal Highways Officer John Chandler 07392 287036Rights of Way Officer Drew Gwillam 0300 300 6544Tree Officer James Coggins

Are

a 1

Custodian Jill Cross 07392 287111

Principal Highways Officer Rick Thompson 0300 300 6113Rights of Way Officer Michelle Flynn 0300 300 6072Tree Officer Leo Hawkes

Are

a 3

Haynes

Flitwick

Pulloxhill

Stondon

Henlow

Barton

Silsoe

Lidlington

Cranfield

Stanbridge

Studham

Hyde

Heath & Reach

Whipsnade

Eggington

Ridgmont

Wrestlingworth

Stotfold

Clifton

Shillington

MarstonMoretaine

Streatley

Slip End

HoughtonConquest

Meppershall

Sundon

Flitto

n

Potton

Tempsford

Astwick

Edworth

Dunton

Eyeworth

Sutton

Langford

Biggleswade

Sandy

Blunham

Moggerhanger

Northill

Old Warden

Southill

Arlesey

ClophillMaulden

Gra

venh

urst

SheffordCampton &Chicksands

Hulcot & Salford

Kensworth

Caddington

Dunstable

Toddington

Chalgrave

Houghton Regis

Leighton Buzzard

Tilsworth

Hockliffe

Battlesden

Totternhoe

Tingrith

Eversholt

Westoning

AmpthillMillbrook

Brogborough

AspleyGuise

WoburnChalton

Billington

CockayneHatley

and

Harlington

Steppingley

Everton

Potsgrove

HusborneCrawley

MiltonBryan

Fairfield

Area 1

AspleyHeath

Area 2

EatonBray

Area 3

Highway Areas

July 2017

0300 300 40770300 300 4499

0300 300 4114

*For any issues in area two please contact Principal Highways Officer Rob Porter as we are still recruiting a custodian for this area. August 2017

Highways Areas

We’re working with Milton

Keynes Council to deliver the

improved section of the A421, which

provides strategic transport access between M1 Junction 13 and Central Milton Keynes and will improve east-west links passing through the city.

The proposal is to widen the existing 2-lane single carriageway, to a dual 2-lane carriageway and the finished road will ease existing congestion; help take traffic away from local parishes; increase safety; and benefit businesses and commuters accessing Milton Keynes from our region.

We’ve secured further money to progress our plans for a proposed M1-A6 Link Road.

In March 2017 we learnt that we had been granted an additional £21.7m allocation from the government’s third round of local growth funding which was secured via SEMPLEP.

The road will connect into junction 11A of the M1 and alongside A5-M1 link. Last year the government confirmed a sum of £11m to kick-start the project.

Further private developer funding will make up the difference towards the overall scheme cost, which is currently estimated at approximately £55m.

The proposed link road will be 4.4km long, effectively forming a northern bypass for Luton. This area has the potential to deliver significant growth, including employment land, community facilities and open spaces, and provision of a new sub-regional rail interchange, as well as new homes for local housing needs.

The road would provide a strategically important east-west link serving not just the Luton Dunstable conurbation, but the wider sub-region. Providing a new enhanced connection to the wider strategic road network, it will also compliment other proposed national east-west corridor schemes such as the proposed Oxford to Cambridge Expressway and East West Rail.

Find out more online.

The widened carriageway will need two bridges to be extended: the Cranfield Road bridge, plus another footbridge near Halcote that will safely take pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists over the A421 (via four public rights of way). Dualling this section of the A421 will also help develop a section of the Bedford to Milton Keynes waterway.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has already allocated the A421 project £22.5m from their Local Growth Fund (LGF) administered by SEMLEP. A further £1m was awarded by the Local Transport Board to support the project

You can read more about the project on our website.

www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk8

A421 A6-M1MAJOR

SCHEMES

UPDATE

9Central Bedfordshire Highways – Summer 2017

Computer image

of new link road

www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk10

Future Highways projects

Central Bedfordshire Highways – Summer 2017 11

Our Streetworks team are responsible for administering the Central Bedfordshire Permit Scheme ensuring that utility works can be carried out quickly, safely and effectively with the least disruption to the public.

We caught up with Streetworks Manager, Gareth Hughes to find out more about the work the team carry out.

What are the responsibilities of the team?

The team are responsible for administering a complex set of rules governed by several overarching pieces of legislation and code of practice, in the last year we’ve issued over 6,500 permits. GH

Can you give us a brief insight into the various permits you would be responsible for issuing?

Permitting varies from small activities like carriageway patching, street lighting and new supplies to more major structural maintenance programmes, bypass works etc. It is illegal to work without a permit and part of our role is to penalise such offences. GH

What is the most random permit that has been requested?

Well we get a lot of requests for filming but also, we have received requests from third parties to gain a permit for a bouncy castle in the street. GH

The authority is evolving and ever changing. Where do you see the team in the next year?

The first year was very successful but we admittedly have concentrated on getting the basics right. We are now looking to ramp up our compliance checks and to play a bigger part in regional best practice and innovation around the use of materials in works. GH

If you would like to know more about the Streetworks team please email streetworks@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

STREETWORKSINTERVIEW:

Scheme Completion Leading organisation

Partners

De-trunking A5 south of High Street South, Dunstable, when A5-M1 Link road opens

2017 Highways England CBC

M1 - A6 Link providing new capacity, improved connectivity, removing traffic from urban areas

To be confirmed CBC AXA

East - West Rail (Western Section) bringing connectivity benefits, journey time improvements between Oxford and Bedford

2020 Network Rail (East-West Alliance)

East-West Rail Consortium (10 local authorities)

A421 dualling to improve congestion, journey time and safety

2019/20 CBC Milton Keynes Council

Dunstable High Street improvements

From 2017 CBC Highways England and Dunstable Town Council

East - West Rail (Central Section) – no defined route within identified corridor

n/a Network Rail Various local authorities

A428 Black Cat roundabout dualling

2020 Highways England Various local authorities

CentralBedfordshirein contact

www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/highways

www.facebook.com/letstalkcentral

@letstalkcentral @CBC_Highways

0300 300 8049

Find out moreFor more information about this publication, further copies, or a large print copy, get in touch.

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