Agenda item

Report of the Director of City Services and Commercial

To consider the above petition bearing 207 signatures (165 e-signatures and 42 paper signatures)  The Petition Organiser has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item.

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of City Services and Commercial, which responded to a petition requesting road safety improvements at the Radford Road/Beake Avenue/Engleton Road junction.

The petition submitted contained 207 signatures and in accordance with the City Council’s procedure for dealing with petitions, those related to road safety were heard by the Cabinet Member for City Services.  The Cabinet Member had considered the petition in advance of the meeting and requested that the petition be dealt with by Determination Letter rather than a formal report being submitted to the meeting. The Petition Organiser attended the meeting and spoke on behalf of the petitioners.

A report indicated that the Council confirmed that a review of the junction, including detailed traffic signal modelling was to be taken forward as part of the prioritised 2025/26 Local Network Improvement Programme.  The results of that modelling had now been completed.

The junction in question, operated a signal-controlled staggered crossroads with partial pedestrian facilities.  It was noted that Radford Road carried over 15,000 vehicles daily, accounting for more than 70% of total traffic passing through the junction.  The current opposing green signal configuration allowed efficient traffic flow and was well suited to the junction’s layout and traffic flow.

Residents had raised concerns about the operation of the junction, with conflicting right-turn movements being highlighted.  A review of personal injury collision data had been conducted.  Site visits and meetings with petitioners had also been undertaken to aid understanding and had led to minor visibility and signage improvements being implemented or proposed.

In addition to the minor improvements, several other options were reviewed and assessed within the report, including converting the junction to a roundabout, splitting signal phases to eliminate right-turn conflicts, and adding pedestrian-controlled signals.

Modelling undertaken to assess the junction demonstrates that the current arrangement operated efficiently and below capacity, with average peak queues of 12 vehicles.  A proposal to split signal stages to remove right turning conflict completely had also been modelled and had been shown to increase peak queues by over 500%.  This would cause significant congestion and exceed junction capacity.  It was also noted that this had the potential to lead to several secondary impacts, including increased pollution, driver frustration, and the potential for different types of collisions.

Given the risks identified, it was proposed to remove the dedicated right-turn stage and indicative green arrow from Radford Road to Beake Avenue.  Instead, introducing an all-red detection phase with a far-sided signal head for right turns into Engleton Road could provide a more efficient solution.  While it would not eliminate all conflicts, this approach would simplify right-turn movements. This approach would help maintain overall junction efficiency and avoid the broader negative impacts that would result from splitting Radford Road movements into separate signal stages.

The Petition Organiser spoke in support of the petition, highlighting the following concerns:

• The response from Council was disappointing as this had been an ongoing problem for many years.
• Traffic should not be allowed into the junction as it was confusing and caused collisions. Cross-hatching the junction had been suggested years ago.
• Pedestrians had great difficulty in crossing Beake Avenue to Aldi.  Railings and access points to aid pedestrians to cross the road could be introduced.
• That an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) should have been carried out.

Officers responded to the Petition Organisers concerns advising of the following measures:

• Additional signage had been installed at the junction.
• The secondary signal head on the outbound right turn to Beake Avenue to create an all red stage would be removed to create greater time for right turning traffic.
• Some of the bollards at the junction had been moved to the left to improve driver visibility.
• The modelling process considered the impact of created formal pedestrian facilities on all arms of the junction which, if introduced, would cause significant implications.
• Box markings had been considered however, for right turning traffic, the box junction could be entered, which would not prevent current driver behaviour. 
• The council had tried to implement measures to improve the junction, recognising it was an important part of the network.
• It was felt that the proposed measures were proportionate due to the amount of demand on the service and would aid the operation of the junction and address some of the concerns raised.
• At a cost of £5,000, the removal of the green arrow on the left turn and a change to the configuration, would facilitate the all red period.
• A scheme specific EIA would not typically be conducted for a scheme of this nature where no direct implications had been identified. The measures set out were intended to support and benefit all road users by aiding the operation of the traffic signal junction whilst addressing the concerns raised by residents within the petition.

The Cabinet Member for City Services, Councillor P Hetherton advised that the crossing was key and had been taken into account.  The Cabinet Member added that work had been ongoing in the area, details of which would be shared with residents in the coming weeks.

In response to the Cabinet Member’s suggestions, officers undertook to do the following:

• Install clear signage on the roads leading to the junctions and ensure all lane arrows are correct and well marked.
• Undertake a review of Beake Avenue, Radford Road Junction – Traffic/Pedestrian Safety in 6 - 8 months.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

1)  Approves the proposed changes to traffic signals operation on Radford Road at its junction with Beake Avenue/Engleton Road as set out in section 2.20 of the report.

2)  Endorses that the traffic signal stages on Radford Road at its junction with Beake Avenue/Engleton Road are not split as set out in the section 2.17 and 2.18 of this report.

3)  Notes that the intervention to deliver the changes set out in Recommendation 1) above as part of the review of Radford Road proposed to come forward in 2025.