An email to BCC Highways On Call about Manor Road

From: Eli Y. Kling [mailto:eli_kling@hotmail.com]
Sent: 15 January 2008 14:32
To: HOC@BucksCC.Gov.ukCc: eli_kling@hotmail.com; Fiona Lippmann

Subject: Manor Road & Wharf Road in Wendover 185216

Dear Madam or Sir,

I am the Neighbourhood-Watch area coordinator for Wendover and a resident of Manor Road.

When I introduced myself to the residence of Manor road, all raised the traffic as a major concern. They all told me about a consultations that took place in 2006 (I moved here June that year). But no one can tell me what came out of that consultation. Some raised the concern that the residence of the new
development (Princess Mary Hospital site - 400 households) would use these roads as a shortcut instead of Tring road.

I also attended a few meetings of the safer roots to school at the John Hamden were traffic issues on these roads were lamented.

There are a few issues that I feel need addressing;
The top of the road is a hill that ends with a bend:
Cars wiz down the hill but cannot see beyond the bend.
Neighbours told me of cases where the school buses did not manage to negotiate the hill in bad weather and hit parking cars.
Drivers approaching the hill rev-up (usually already in Wharf Road)
Parking cars all along the road narrow the road into a single lane and a head on collision is a permanent risk.
During the School-Run in the morning and afternoon the road becomes highly congested. The situation is aggravated due to the school buses that park on Wharf Road – not much road is left for cars coming both ways.
The corner of Wharf Road, Manor Road and the entrance to the school is complicated for the Children to cross. Rightly, a school safety patrol (lollypop person) was deems necessary.
The road is used as a (false) short-cut also by lories.

I believe that probably one of the reasons the previous consultation on traffic calming did not result in action is that there were many options presented and no agreement could be reached. If a targeted consultation was placed to the residence it would be much easier to campaign in its behalf (a task I would happily take upon myself).

To my opinion two actions could improve the situation:
Make the roads into a one way system. This has several benefits as not only will it reduce the risk of head long collisions, it will also address the conjunction at school-run-time. I spoke to about 20 residence and all said they would support this suggestion. In which way it should go is another matter. There are arguments in both ways. I think the system should slow from Tring Road to Aylesbury Road:
This is the preferred direction for the school buses that park on Wharf Road.
The exit from Manor Road to Tring Road is not pleasant (mainly turning left) whilst the exit to Aylesbury road is through a roundabout.
This direction will be un-attractive to the commuters coming from Halton and the development on the Princess Mary Site: In the morning it would be congested due to the school run and in the evening they will not be able to drive up the one way system.
Very low speed rumps or bumps (something like http://www.speedbumpsltd.co.uk/) – People have objections to the “speed ramp hills” that might damage the cars.

I would start with the ‘one way’ solution as it seems to me easy to implement.

With Regard,
Dr. Eli Y. Kling