Parking outside the village hall
Surveying the village
LATEST STA NEWS WINTER 2023
The Future Village
Our second meeting for Sandleheath Traffic Action (STA) stakeholders; volunteer representatives of the various housing areas in our village, took place on Monday 29th January. The STA team presented the findings of their extensive research into potential traffic calming measures for our ‘future village’.
There was a healthy discussion thereafter and the excellent points made both at the meeting and in many useful emails from interested residents thereafter will be worked into the STA project.
- We are hugely grateful for the interest that residents are taking in our exciting project.
STA principles are based on the villagisation concept described in the ‘SANDLEHEATH TRAFFIC ACTION – THE PROJECT’ paragraphs below. Rather than displaying rough rural roads, we intend to present Sandleheath as a valued, well-maintained residential space – a place where people predominate, not vehicles. This change is intended to influence perception and thus to persuade drivers to respect our community and take care whilst transiting our roads.
- Such a transformation will require both changes to the layout and appearance of our roads and new objects that will make our village look special.
As well as describing proposed engineering works and road marking, the team outlined a system (see diagram opposite) of clearly defined:
- Entry points at our four road boundaries.
- Marker points around the centre of our village.
- A concept for creating a recognisable ‘Heart of the Village’, based on the village stores and the green areas astride Elms Close
The Team also described the need to make our village look tidy and presentable. No doubt there will be a need to inspire residents to assist the Parish Council in this valuable task.
We will need a strong community commitment to the project.
There are still some complicated issues to resolve, not least managing traffic flow at our crossroads. The STA team continues to work in close consultation with Hampshire County Council and is seeking engineering solutions where challenges still exist.
Those attending the Stakeholders’ Meeting on behalf of their fellow residents, broadly supported the proposals made and welcomed the project’s development.
Upcoming Events
STA will continue to develop its concept until there is a comprehensive plan that meets the requirements of both HCC and our residents:
On Thursday 7th March, STA will formally brief the Parish Council on its progress, highlighting issues yet to be resolved and seeking Council’s advice.
In April, STA will deliver a leaflet to every home and commercial company in the village describing the STA plan in detail.
On Thursday 25th April, STA will hold a Village Meeting in the Village Hall following on from the Parish Council Annual General Meeting at 7.30 p.m. All residents are warmly invited to attend to see what exciting changes we intend to make to our village to manage traffic, now and for the years to come.
SANDLEHEATH TRAFFIC ACTION
A plan to manage vehicle movement in Sandleheath
The Issue
The volume of traffic passing through Sandleheath is growing, and with large housing developments planned or applied for in our area, notably in Alderholt and Fordingbridge, it will increase in future.
Our rural village is becoming a busy place.
Unfortunately, many vehicles that use our roads exceed the 30 mph speed limit
Speeding endangers our safety, makes our lives unpleasant and harms our rural environment.
The Project
At a Village Meeting in April called by Sandleheath Parish Council, some 60 of our residents agreed that they are annoyed by speeding in our village and wanted action taken to deter it. Accordingly, the Council has formed a new sub-group, Sandleheath Traffic Action with the express purpose of resolving the problem. The team consists of Sandleheath residents: Duncan Bailey, Simon Freeman, Lindsey Malcom, Mike Richardson and Cllr Tom Ward.
The team has the following mission:
To deliver an innovative Sandleheath Traffic Action (STA) plan, to promote road safety, enhance the quality of life and preserve the environment in Sandleheath.
There are two key objectives:
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To reduce speeding.
- To manage traffic density – maintaining a steady, calm flow of vehicles through the village.
The Strategy
Traffic density and speeding are characteristics of the modern world. Recently new models for controlling them have emerged that do not just rely on measures to obstruct vehicles, but allow residents and commercial companies to go about their business. This is a concept called ‘Villagisation’.
As well as considering practical traffic calming measures, the Sandleheath Traffic Action team will examine how we can enhance our surroundings to transform Sandleheath into a recognisable residential space, with clearly marked entry points and a well-defined village centre. Thereby, we will seek to increase driver vigilance and generate driver respect, prompting reduced speed and cautious driving.
We want to present our village as an acknowledged living space, not just a convenient through-route.
Villagisation will have two beneficial outcomes. We will:
- Promote Sandleheath as a safe, attractive residential space - a good place to live.
- Enhance our sense of community.
It’s your plan
This is a project for all of us in Sandleheath. We seek to create a plan that incorporates your views and opinions, and which benefits from the input of everyone in our community: individuals, interest groups and commercial companies.
The Sandleheath Traffic Action plan will not be feasible unless it has the firm support of the majority.
As well as the planning team, we will establish groups of stakeholder representatives, both internal from within our village, and external – the towns and villages around us where the traffic comes from. Stakeholders will represent the views and opinions of their friends and neighbours, contributing immense value to the overall scheme as it develops. From time to time, we will invite the whole village to contribute.
Contact
We hope to get a broad range of views and comments, and would be pleased to hear from our residents at any time. If you want to communicate with Sandleheath Traffic Action team, you can email them at:
sandleheath.ta@btinternet.com. You can also write to them:
Sandleheath Traffic Action
c/o Sandleheath Village Hall, St Aldhelm’s,
Main Road, Sandleheath,
FORDINGBRIDGE, Hampshire SP6 1TD
Your personal details will be kept secure, not passed to a third party, and will be subject to the Sandleheath Parish Council’s Data Protection Policy.
We look forward to hearing from you.
