Vale of Glamorgan Road Infrastructure Developments

[Ian Perry]

During the summer, I wrote to the Vale of Glamorgan with regard to some road infrastructure changes in the South Wales towns of Penarth and Cowbridge. The questions and answers follow:

What are the traffic flows on Windsor road and why is the road, particularly in the town centre not deemed suitable for “shared space”, when Bristol City Council are planning to follow Ashford and turn Park Street over to “shared space”?
– "Most recent traffic count shows an average of 13,688 vehicles per day. The Council is not unsympathetic to principal of “shared space” – provided that speeds of vehicles are adequately controlled and due consideration is given to the needs of those who are visually challenged. However, shared space schemes are extremely expensive to promote and implement and the available budget for implementation of the presently proposed scheme is far too inadequate to contemplate shared space at this location. You may be interested to learn that the Council has commissioned consultants to advise on the notion of promoting a shared space scheme in Barry."

What are the traffic volumes along this part of High Street, Cowbridge?
– "The latest count shows an average of 9774 vehicles per day"

Why was the decision taken to remove the zebra crossing outside Cowbridge Town Hall?
– "Prior to the installation of the puffin crossing pedestrians wishing to cross High Street Cowbridge in the vicinity of the Town Hall made use of a zebra crossing at that location.. The layout of the zebra crossing consisted of three traffic lanes: one in each direction with an additional lane available to right turning vehicles wishing to enter the car park area to the rear of the Town Hall and to gain access to other parts of the town locally. This layout led to turning vehicles waiting in the zig-zag controlled area of the zebra crossing. Although this is not unlawful, it’s not an advisable traffic manoeuvre. The zebra crossing was replaced with a puffin crossing some 14 metres further west. The Council as Highway Authority has a responsibility to improve the safety of the highway user and may be found to be negligent if it does not meet its statutory obligations under the Highways Act 1980 and the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984."

What was the cost of the new Puffin crossing system in Cowbridge, and what was the cost of installation?
– "(2008/09) Roadworks £26,764; Signals £9,261; Design Fees, Consultation and Traffic Regulation Orders £6,566; new bus shelter £3,870 (2007/08) Design Fees, Consultation and Traffic Regulation Orders (Mostly abortive in view of objections received to the proposed scheme) £5,512; TOTAL £51,973"

What evidence is there that the pelican crossing is more convenient and safer for pedestrians?
– "In general though it is accepted that Pelicans are safer than Zebra’s as there is a clear signal to pedestrians when it is safe to cross or not it is also possible to set them so that pedestrians don’t bring the traffic flow to a halt if there is a high demand.
The reason behind fitting this type of crossing is to make the crossing of a busy town centre safer and provide a controlled crossing point rather than an uncontrolled crossing.
With an uncontrolled crossing you rely on vehicle drivers making a decision to stop or not, pedestrians are not always able to determine speeds of vehicles approaching the crossing and therefore could potentially put themselves in harms way. Uncontrolled crossing points also do not cater for the partially sighted that rely on the controlled crossing point to safely cross with impunity.
The new Puffin controller at Cowbridge has facilities for the partially sighted and hard of hearing, so in answer to your question it provides a safer way to cross the road catering for different groups of pedestrians."

Was the evidence that zebra crossings are more convenient and safer for pedestrians taken into account when the decision was made to remove the zebra crossing that has operated successfully for decades with an expensive pelican crossing?
– "The Council does not agree that zebra crossings are inherently safer than pelican or puffin crossings."

What is the cost to the council of providing “free” street parking to shoppers in Penarth?
– "The “car parking” element of the presently proposed scheme in Penarth town centre is a minor proportion (which has not yet been separately identified) of an overall scheme which will in addition improve traffic management (by the introduction of a one-way system), improve pedestrian safety (by the provision of two puffin crossings), the provision of additional cycle stands and an increase in the provision of goods vehicle unloading / loading bays. The total for all of these elements is some £245,000."

Has a car-sharing scheme for Penarth been considered as a way of reducing car ownership, by Penarth’s residents, and thus the need for parking?
– "No"

Will the Vale of Glamorgan be adopting the DfT’s 'Manual for Streets'?
– "In appropriate locations and circumstances (and these are in main associated with new housing developments), VoG is supportive of the ethos of MfS."





In 2007, 31 people were killed on Puffin/Pelican Crossings in the UK, far more than on Zebra Crossings, even though many pedestrians feel safer if they have the protection of a traffic light. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/3242048/Zebra-crossing-road-deaths-treble.html