Highways north
February 2010
Highway Manager: Alan Birt
Tel: 01623 520 767
Fax: 01623 520 019
Email: highwaysnorth.en@nottscc.gov.uk
Recent bad weather
We have been experiencing a prolonged period of severe weather conditions with heavy snow and freezing conditions and this has had a major effect on driving conditions and delivery of service. Unfortunately, this is a nationwide problem and not just a local one. The current situation that we are facing is there is a national shortage of salt due to the ongoing severe weather. Unfortunately because of this, the County Council is not receiving all of the expected deliveries it requires to provide a full Winter Maintenance service. With the Government controlling the distribution of salt we’re taking a safe not sorry approach to maintain our salt stocks by only gritting A and B roads.
Due to the national salt shortage we are still gritting A and B routes only to help preserve stocks and keep vital main roads open. We are salting these busy roads to make sure we can help as many road users as we can with the limited resources we currently have. Secondary routes, or any other roads within the County not forming part of the priority 1 network, will not be gritted until salt stocks and replenishment deliveries are guaranteed.
County Councillor Richard Jackson said: “We need to remind people that it is still winter and therefore ice and snow is still a possibility. The salt supply is still critical and is being controlled by the national Salt Cell and we will continue to lobby for more salt.
“We want to reassure residents that our gritting teams are on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week, during the winter months, to ensure a prompt and effective response to icy weather.
“However, we would also urge residents to use the salt from grit bins wisely for use on the roads and pavements, so salt stocks are not exhausted unnecessarily."
“When ice is predicted, over 200 tonnes of salt are used to treat 1,800km of the county’s roads. We are also liaising with Nottinghamshire Police, and neighbouring authorities, to ensure that the roads are kept clear.”
We are getting just enough stocks into Nottinghamshire to keep up with the current regime of A&B roads only. Central Government guidance to reduce salt usage by 50% based on normal has to be complied with.
We cannot see stocks or deliveries improving markedly during this season. All authorities across the Country are in a similar position now. Where some had managed to conserve stocks initially, they are now disadvantaged due to the salt cell restricting their deliveries even more. We therefore anticipate that we will continue with the current regime for the rest of the season.
Unfortunately the recent weather has caused many problems Countywide with regard to potholes and road maintenance. Potholes are formed by water penetrating the asphalt surface of a road through cracks caused by traffic. When temperatures plunge, the water freezes, expands and causes the surface to rupture. When the ice melts, it leaves a void below the surface, which caves in under the stress of vehicles and eventually forms a pothole. Snow and ice are the worst weather conditions for exacerbating existing road defects, due to the repetition of the freeze-thaw process.
All we can do at the present time is fill the potholes and make relevant repairs to the roads. If a road is in a particularly bad state it will be picked up by the highways inspector and reported for a detailed visual inspection (DVI). These are then ranked in order of condition to prioritise future re-surfacing schemes.
The period of severe weatherhas been a difficult time for all and we tried to keep the main roads moving through the worst period of cold weather we have experienced for 29 years. We allocated all available resources to deal with the weather conditions and have been operating at a high level of activity since before Christmas. Teams and rotaswere constantly being arranged to provide appropriate 24 / 7 cover as needed including weekends but unfortunately circumstances mean that we cannot treat the whole network.
Road Safety
School Travel Plans
School Travel Plans (STP) aim to reduce congestion, encourage walking and cycling and improve road safety in the vicinity of schools. Individual schools address the problems identified by their own school community with the support of the School Travel Plan team.
Road Safety Education
Road safety staff are currently visiting primary schools for the preliminary round of the Junior Road Safety Quiz. All Key Stage 2 children (age 7-11) will answer multiple choice questions from a Power Point presentation regarding safe behaviour as pedestrians, passengers and cyclists. Pupils have been issued with a worksheet 'X Factor' which has been developed by the Road Safety Team.
Many schools are holding cycle training courses with Year 5 and 6 children. Part of this training takes place on the road to encourage children to use their bikes as a means of transport, as well as for leisure, as they grow up. NCC Cycle Trainers, who are trained to CTC (Cycle Touring Club) national standards, attended their twice-yearly IIP training meetings during January 2010.
School Crossing Patrols
There are currently vacancies for permanent patrols in Mansfield, Mansfield Woodhouse, Worksop, Hucknall, Coddington, Southwell and vacancies for relief patrols throughout the areas. If you, or anyone you know, are aged over 18 and would like to join our team of patrols carrying out a vital role in assisting the safety of schoolchildren, please contact the Road Safety Office tel: 01623 520034.
School Crossing Patrols attended their twice-yearly IIP training meetings during December 2009. The School Crossing Patrols who braved the elements during the bad weather in January deserve a special mention for their commitment to the service carrying out their duties in extreme weather conditions.
Projects Currently in Progress
Bassetlaw
Elmwood Close, Retford: Footway resurfacing works will be completed in early February 2010.
Norfolk Grove, Bircotes: Footway resurfacing works will be carried out towards the end of February for up to one week.
Longfellow Drive & Plantation Hill, Worksop: Work to improve the shopping area at the junction of Longfellow Drive and Plantation Hill will continue during February. Temporary two way traffic lights will be in operation on Longfellow Drive at periods during this time.
Station Road, Sutton cum Lound: Footway resurfacing work will be completed in mid February.
Cemetery Road, Worksop: Footway resurfacing and re-kerbing together with carriageway patching will start in early February and continue for a number of weeks.
Albert Road, Retford: Footway resurfacing and kerbing works will commence in early February. A temporary road closure will operate from mid February to facilitate completion of the footway works together with carriageway resurfacing.
Sandringham Avenue, Retford: Work to improve the shop frontage area will start in early February and continue into March.
Baulk Lane, Harworth: Carriageway resurfacing will be carried out under a temporary road closure from the end of February for a couple of weeks.
Lead Hill, Worksop: Carriageway resurfacing will be carried out under a temporary road closure on a Sunday towards the end of February.
Newark
C25 Southwell Road Kirklington: Carriagewayresurfacingscheduled for February half term under a road closure.
Greenwood Avenue, Edwinstowe: Footwayand carriageway resurfacing work commenced 11th Jan 2010 for approx 8 weeks.
Main St, South Muskham (inc Forge Close): Footway and carriageway resurfacing work commencedJan 2010 for approx 12 weeks.
Triumph Road, Eakring: Carriageway resurfacing works were cancelled due to the recent bad weather. The work is now planned for March.
High Marnham to Harby Central Linear Route Phase 1: work to convert thedisused railway line to amulti user (footway, cycleway, bridleway) routecommenced 7th September. The 8.5km route is expected to be complete end Feb 2010.
Holles Close, Boughton: work to alleviate flooding commences early Feb 2010 for approx 2 weeks.
A617 Lockwell Hill: Work to improve drainage on the roundabout restarts 1 Feb 2010 for 1 week.
Rainworth Water NCN6: Improvement work rescheduled for22Feb for 1 week
Lynds Close, Edwinstowe: - Work to improve parking for residents is due to commence 22 Feb for approx 3 weeks.
Highway Inspections
Annual Safety Inspections will be carried out in the following areas:
Bassetlaw
Clayworth
Eaton
Wiseton
Gamston
Lound
Rockley
Everton
Askham
Rhodesia
Newark
Sutton on Trent
Elston
Carlton on Trent
Syerston
Weston
Cotham
Ossington
Stauton in the Vale
Thorpe
Co-ordination
Ashfield
Mansfield
Bassetlaw
Newark
Public Transport
Bassetlaw
29, X29, Retford-Ranskill-Blyth-Bawtry-Robin Hood Airport: Daily (Stagecoach) Revised timetable with effect from 10 January 2010.
Newark
5 Oxton - Calverton - Lowdham - Nottingham: Monday to Saturday (Premiere) Revised route and timetable with effect from 1 November 2009.
33 Newark - Balderton - Fernwood: Monday to Saturday (Marshalls) Service withdrawn with effect from 7 December 2009.
37, 39 Newark - Sutton on Trent - Normanton - Tuxford: Daily (Marshalls) Revised timetable with effect from 26 October 2009.
46 Newark-Swinderby-Lincoln: Monday to Saturday (Stagecoach) Revised timetable with effect from 4 January 2010.
New Services
Newark
37 Newark - Retford - Tuxford: Monday to Saturday (Marshalls) New service introduced with effect from 26 October.
101 Huthwaite-Sutton Station: Mondays only (Our Centre) New service introduced with effect from 4 January 2010.
102 Sutton, Alfred Street-Stanton Hill-Skegby-Sutton Bus Station: Mondays only (Our Centre) New serviced introduced with effect from 4 January 2010.
Christmas and New Year Services
Expected operating patterns are:-
Christmas Eve: Normal service with revised last journey times around 7pm-8pm.
Christmas Day: No service.
Boxing Day: No service, with the exception of Nottingham Tram and Veolia (Dunn Line) service T1.
Monday 28 December: Sunday service
New Years Eve: Normal service with revised last journey times around 7pm-8pm.
New Year's Day: No service, with the exception of Nottingham Tram and Veolia (Dunn Line) service T1.
On all other days normal service levels or a Saturday service will operate. However, it is advisable to check with the relevant operator if considering travelling on any of these dates.
Information can also be found on the Traveline website: www.travelineeastmidlands.org.uk
Publications
New additions of the Area Guides for Blidworth, Bilsthorpe and Southwell and Beeston and Stapleford areas will be available from local libraries, Tourist Information Centres and Post Offices shortly.
Useful Links
www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/buses_leisureandlocal
The Council supports a range of leisure and local bus services that provide increased opportunities to travel for people in Nottinghamshire. Details of some of these initiatives can be found on the above page.
www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/timetables
These pages show detailed bus timetables for the County and local towns. You can find out where your bus is going, which service to get and the places to see. Simply select an area on the map for a timetable listing for that area.
www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/alldaytraveltickets
This link provides information on the range of money-saving tickets available to enable you to make the most of bus travel in Nottinghamshire.
www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/buses-busoperators
This page lists all the bus operators running services in Nottinghamshire, with a link to their website where available.
www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/buses_usefullinks
The above page provides links to other local authorities and organisations that can help with your public transport enquiries and problems.
www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/buses-community
Nottinghamshire County Council supports a wide range of schemes and services designed to provide access to public transport for residents of Nottinghamshire. Click on the link above to view details of these schemes.
Further information can be obtained from Traveline tel: 0871 200 2233, 7:00am to 9:00pm daily, (BT callers charged 10p per minute plus 6p set-up fee per call. Mobile and other provider’s charges vary). Typetalk available tel: 18001 0871 200 2233, website: www.traveline.info. Alternatively, contact the operator of the service.
Customer care
Circumstances beyond our control may require changes to the work programme. If you have any complaints about highways, traffic or the services that we provide, please do not hesitate to contact:
Welbeck House
Darwin Drive
Sherwood Energy Village
Ollerton
Nottinghamshire
NG22 9FF
e-mail: highwaysnorth.en@nottscc.gov.uk
All telephone queries should be directed to the Customer Services Centre tel: 08449 808080
