Around 7 years ago, the Parish Council applied to the Local Highway Panel (LHP) of Essex County Council for a 'warning pedestrians' sign on the A131 in the vicinity of the Panner's roundabout near the Astronomer Pub. After consideration, the LHP decided to consider a formal crossing in the area but after investigation decided that the cost was too high to implement.
Having received representations from residents our local County Councillor, Graham Butland, asked Essex County Council Highways for a more detailed explanation and the response is set out below. Once further news is available it will be published for residents to see.
If residents wish to express a view to Councillor Butland he may be contacted at cllr.graham.butland@essex.gov.uk
Response from Essex Highways
Below is a summary that relates to the signalised crossing design at the Astronomer public house. This should provide some context to the existing site and the proposals that were designed previously.
The position of the existing uncontrolled crossing is very close to the exit of the roundabout and wouldn’t provide the necessary stacking length for vehicles waiting at a red light without queuing back onto the roundabout itself and blocking of the circulatory , therefore the proposal was to move the crossing further way from the exit to reduce this issue. The position was maximised within the constraints of the design standards, as we are limited in terms of where a controlled crossing can be located to ensure visibility can be maintained to pedestrians and signal heads by approaching vehicles. Given that there is a need to position the controlled crossing away form the junction, any existing infrastructure that was installed when the roundabout was constructed will become redundant.
To create the new crossing there is a need to:
extend the footway/cycleway along the northern side of the A131 and associated tactile paving,
extend the footway/cycleway along the southern side of the A131 and associated tactile paving,
create a new pedestrian refuge within the central reserve including removal of sections of the existing safety barrier,
install new safety barriers at exit of the roundabout leading up to the crossing,
provide new safety barrier after the crossing and tie back into the existing,
provide a hard standing and associated footway for future maintenance of the signals,
provide new traffic signals and associated controllers,
install new ducting across both sides of the carriageway, adjacent footways and verges for cables and traffic loops, including the associated chambers, install new lighting columns,
resurface the carriageway on both approaches to the crossing and the application of high friction surfacing,
relocation of existing statutory undertakers equipment.
The cost was tendered by our supply chain partners a couple of years ago and was returned at £295k, however this would likely increase as material costs etc. have risen in the past few years. It is worth noting that the traffic management costs for these works will be reasonably high given the speed of the road and the extent they would have to cover to ensure the safety of the traveling public and workforce.
I hope the above clarifies the works required, but should you need any further detail, please don’t hesitate to let me know.